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Without Ate City 














































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WITHOUT THE CITY 


BY 

CHARLES C. FULTON 



HTie Christopher Publishing House 
Boston, U. S. A. 


Copyright 1924 

By The Christopher Publishing House 


\ ° 


[MADE IN AMERICA 1 


APR - 9’24 


©cu 777868 



DEDICATED 

To the Inhabitants of the City 


INVOCATION 


Forever reigning on Earth and Above, 

Together with Labor and Heavenly love, 

Come and inspire with your marvelous grace— 
Truth be my helper; show thy wonderful face. 

Come and allow all thy sisters above, 

Beauty and labor and aerial love, 

Light ye around me: for graces ye are! 

Hear me; I worship thee—take up my car. 

Bear me to realms yet unwritten by men. 

Wonders abound there untouched yet by pen. 
Wonders undreamed of by poets or seers; 

Take me away from this valley of tears. 

Heights so sublime that the body is lost; 

Glory on glory in spirit-fire tossed, 

Heaven on heaven and span upon span, 

Far from this grubbing—and dissolute man. 

Hear me, I pray thee; let grief come in vain, 
Sorrow and sin and the murderous pain. 

Grant me the cry I so plaintively send; 

Patiently hear ye my plea to the end. 

— C. C. Fulton. 



WITHOUT THE CITY 


9 


Chapter I. 

THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL 

One night, not long ago, I fell into a deep slumber 
which was more than a nightly rest. For eternities I 
seemed to be hovering in space like an eagle; to be sus¬ 
pended between heaven and earth. I seemed to be almost 
without substance; to be as light as air. Then, slowly at 
first; afterwards with great speed, I felt myself ascend¬ 
ing. 

Soon, far—far away, a little light appeared. At first 
it was the size of a tiny star; but it gradually increased 
in brilliancy until its splendor became blinding. Then the 
overpowering radiance burst upon my startled vision, and 
I found myself in a large room. 

This room was of such collossal dimensions, that I 
shall not even venture to guess its measurements. I was 
standing, it appeared to me, in the centre of the floor; 
and all around me, but far distant, were the gigantic 
walls. It seemed as though the room were circular in 
shape, with a great dome-shaped roof. In the centre of 
the roof blazed the great light which I had observed so 
far away. Vast, vari-colored pillars supported the roof. 
The floor was smooth and was composed of a substance 
as clear as crystal. How I ever passed through puzzled 
and still puzzles me; for it was very hard. 

Whilst I was looking and wondering thus, a voice said: 
“Look not down, but raise your eyes to things above.” 

I turned, surprised at hearing this, for a moment before 
I had been alone. I beheld a young man. He had even 
features and an open countenance. His hair was brown, 
as were his eyes; and his figure was lithe and symmetri¬ 
cal. He was dressed in a loose, flowing robe of the purest 


10 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


white; which was fastened at his shoulder by a golden 
star. 

Noticing my scrutiny, he smiled; and said to me: 
“Dearly beloved, you were summoned in the spirit for a 
purpose. The purpose is this: mankind is struggling, 
or a good proportion are struggling, at this hour^ to ob¬ 
tain the truth of a future life. Some are injuring body, 
mind and soul in endless, and almost fruitless endeavors 
to learn more. In some, this is idle curiosity; but the 
better part desire comfort. To them, a word of comfort 
—a word of encouragement, is surely needed. We, who 
labor so staunchly here, are sorely smitten by such waves 
of futile experiments. The results are so small and so 
tainted by the flesh! This world can never be reached 
by physical means, or connection would have been made 
long ago. The best a human can ever get, is but the 
reflection. A greater wave of frenzy always surges, when 
men have stirred up some terrible calamity, the product 
of their own sin and indifference, such as has just passed.” 

“Once in every hundred years, some living human being 
is allowed to visit this world; many have passed through. 
Most have forgotten the trip in the transition between 
sleeping and waking; some have died on the journey be¬ 
cause of disobedience; some retained the beauty, but 
none of the facts, and became poets or painters; while 
some—went mad. But one remembered scraps of the visit, 
which he put in a great poem; that man was Dante.” 

“So you can see the dangers of this trip; you may die, 
become mad, or be a poet. These are terrible things to 
consider, in the eyes of the world. Yet, my Masters, 
loath to forever bar man alive from the City, give this 
privilege. You are called here to view this life; when 
you return, if you remember the trip, write it down and 
put it before men. The privilege is great and the wrath 
for failure is also great. You are privileged, however, to 
withdraw now. Another will be substituted, for there 
are thousands who would be eager to go—and you may 
return and forget.” 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


11 


“I cannot but accept such an opportunity, despite the 
dangers;” I answered, “But why was I choosen in pre¬ 
ference to any of the others ? I know nothing of theology 
nor any of those dense subjects and cannot give a wordy 
exposition.” 

Smilingly, he replied: “That is rather a virtue. But 
the selection was mainly done by chance. A messenger 
was dispatched to earth with instructions. He sped in a 
straight line from this place and landed near where you 
were at the time. After a short search and consideration, 
he selected you as the fortunate person. The rest you 
know.” 

“I will surely go;” I said, “For it is not only a duty 
I must perform but a glorious pleasure. Lead on.” 

“Good!” he exclaimed, “You have chosen wisely. 
You will now visit the first four mansions in the Father’s 
house. The first, is the mansion of retribution, where the 
faults are redeemed. These faults are sins when they 
violate the commandments which have been taught by 
the great spiritual leaders of all times. From these faults 
come sin and crime; and from them come all the sorrows 
of the world, for their violation is the root of all evil. If 
men would only believe and act upon that truth! But 
are there any questions before we start?” 

“Yes, two;” I replied, “One is vital, the other is not. 
This is the first: Was Christ the son of God, as we have 
always believed? Was he divine?” 

“He was divine in that he lived a divine life and taught 
man those fundamental principles of right living; which, 
if followed, would make the earth a Heaven instead of 
a Hell. He was a son of God, inasmuch as he combined 
all the attributes of God in himself, that it is possible 
for a man to have. He was a perfect man. We love 
him, because he gave the planes to mankind and man¬ 
kind should love him, also.” 

“But in the sense you mean, that of direct physical 
descent, he was but a mortal. He was a man. He was 
not conceived by the Holy Ghost any more than any other 


12 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


mortal is conceived. His soul came from the All-Highest; 
but his body came from the dust, to which it returned/’ 

“Alas that man should require an idol as the object of 
his prayers! Every other religion has its idols, whether 
visible or invisible. Alas that the religion of Jesus, he 
who hated idols, should have so changed! For personal 
worship really means the descent of the mind from the 
pure, simple teachings of the founder. From there, it 
is but one step to the dead and musty rituals, from 
which ressurection is impossible. Rituals and relics; 
both are abhorrent!” 

“I understand;” I replied. “The second question is: 
Do all in this place dress as you dress ?” 

“No,” he replied; “I am a teacher. There are four 
grades of teachers, all being distinguished by the star at 
the shoulder of their garment. The souls are clothed in 
the virtue they possess. Of the details in regard to their 
garments, you will be better informed later. The tea¬ 
chers, too are dressed as is best suitable to their station 
and work.” 

“Tell me more about the teachers j” I said. 

“As I before remarked, there are four grades of tea¬ 
chers ;” he replied; “The lowest grade, work upon the 
first plane; they wear a red star upon their shoulder, 
and teach the folly of sin. They have the hardest work 
of all; for such work is a tax upon their spiritual strength 
and endurance. Hence, we assign the most zealous and 
hardy students who pass through the planes, that work.” 

“The teachers who work upon the second plane, wear a 
silver star. They teach obedience to the great natural 
laws, which are the moral laws. The teachers of the 
third plane wear a golden star, such as I wear. We in¬ 
struct the souls as to the make-up of the Universe. The 
teachers on the fourth plane are the highest and wear 
a star which emits light. They, also, are termed disciples. 
All the teachers are greatly respected who care for that 
branch of labor and have high rank in the City.” 

“All this, and much more, was created and devised 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


13 


under the inspiration of the Most High, by his believers 
—the great leaders throughout the ages. Thanks to Him 
and them—man is saved to enjoy the fulfilment as the 
great Jesus said to his followers: 

‘In my Father’s house are many mansions; I go to pre¬ 
pare a place for you.’ 

The Most High is everyone’s Father; and He cares 
for everyone, great and small. If one does wrong, the 
punishment follows as sure as light is not darkness. 
If one does good, the reward follows, as sure as the soul 
lives.” 

“Glory to the all-merciful love and wisdom!” I ex¬ 
claimed, “That gives real justice to everyone. But I can¬ 
not believe that I am not dreaming. Give me some sign 
that will still any doubts remaining in my mind. I feel 
that you are good and mean good; I cannot believe other¬ 
wise. These things are so like the things I have hoped 
for and prayed for, that I am confused.” 

He frowned slightly and replied: “O doubter; doubter, 
like your whole human family of doubters! Born in 
doubt, you live in doubt and die doubting! Oh, my 
masters! Send some sign, I pray you, that will kill his 
doubts!” 

We waited awhile, a very short while, blowly, a 
picture appeared before me. It was my room. There 
I lay upon my bed, apparently dead. Then a voice 
spoke and said: “Your body lies there; if you were 
dreaming, you could never see it thus. It may be that 
you will again inhabit it and remember this trip. If 
such happens, write what you see and give it to the 
world.” 

Slowly, as the picture faded, the voice ceased. I fell 
upon my knees, and cried: “I believe! And pray that 
my weakness be forgiven. Lead on; lead on and I will 
follow!” 

“ ’Tis good,” said he, “You are forgiven. Come with 
me. 

Then, smiling, he grasped my hand; and we slowly 


14 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


arose from the floor of the great room. As we arose, the 
blazing star increasing in brilliancy, until its radiance be¬ 
came overpowering. It seemed to descend to meet us; 
then for a moment enveloped us completely and dropped 
past like a veil. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


15 


Chapter II. 

THE FIRST PLANE 

After we had passed through the globe of light, which 
did not burn us and was not even hot, I found myself 
in a large room or enclosure. It was circular in shape 
and was open to the air above. The sky was of a ruddy 
color and all was enveloped in a ruddy glow. 

I saw hundreds of souls—nay, thousands; scattered 
about the room; some were standing, some sitting and 
some lying upon the floor. Both men and women were 
there, mixed in regardless confusion. I was surprised 
to see such mixing of the sexes in a place where some 
carnal persons must be present. My guide said, however, 
that all were as senseless as logs of wood. In fact, not 
one showed any intelligence, or gave any sign that they 
realized their position. 

Every nation and race were represented; and each one 
was clad in the costume in which they had lived. They 
looked so pitiful; poor puppets of fate! Few of them 
ever knew themselves and fewer still ever knew more. 
Few ever saw the ideals and dreams of their youth ful¬ 
filled and fewer still ever saw those of their children! 

Many were entering by a broad door at one end of the 
room. Incessantly, I heard a low voice resounding 
through the room, uttering names. At the sound, souls 
moved in answer, toward the door in the stiff, me¬ 
chanical gait of the somnambulist. As each soul 
passed through the narrow door at the opposite end 
from the broad door, his or her garments dropped away; 
leaving the soul clad in the virtue alone. As the clothing 
dropped, they melted in the atmosphere; thus severing 
another link to the earth. 


16 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


As the soul passes through this entrance, the first step 
in the journey to the City, conciousness returns; but only 
the mind becomes cognizant of the surroundings. The 
body moves, not under its command, but by a superior 
will. What must be the thoughts that pass through the 
mind at this stage! Confusion; and perhaps fear, 
must be present. Perhaps some think they have re¬ 
turned to life; and they are right. Some may think 
they are in Heaven; they also are right. While some 
may imagine they are in Hell; they too would be cor¬ 
rect. 

We passed through the great door and entered another 
chamber. As we did so, we faced a large, ebony cnair, 
upon which rested a small cloud. A voice spoke out 
of the cloud, and said to me: “A rare favor has been 
conferred upon you; not because you are so worthy of 
its reception, but because others, more righteous, are 
anxious to hear of the favor. Mind you, relate all you 
see upon this plane; let nothing be hidden that is vital. 
Nothing should be concealed from man.” 

He continued: “In this plane are six main divisions, 
namely: for hard-heartedness, intolerance, passion, av¬ 
arice, faint-heartedness and skepticism. There are sev¬ 
eral portions to each division, containing varieties or 
developments of the same sin. And as a last word to 
you, and see that you remember it—violate none of those 
great moral laws while here; for if you do, you will 
surely be held for punishment. Now go and view the 
correction of these sins. Reflect on the mercy of the 
All-Highest and bless His works.” 

Upon receiving this dismissal, my guide and I passed 
from before the great chair. Yet I could not help turn¬ 
ing to view the fates of the souls. As each came 
through the great door and paused before the 
chair, I could see each face. The mind was alert and 
active, but only the eyes showed life. As each passed 
before the great chair, the sentence was given; and each 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


17 


soul received that for which it had labored during life. 
The servant is surely worthy of his hire. 

What must be the thoughts of the soul when he hears 
the sentence: “Thou art full of sin; go to retribution 
and be cleansed!” What is the retribution ? Am I go¬ 
ing to a fiery Hell? What is in store for me? Can I 
escape? Or is this but an awful dream? And if not, 
how did I get here? 

It is not long before all is answered. When the soul 
awakens from the sleep which we call death, memory 
and understanding return; as it does when we awaken 
from the lesser of the two sleeps. There is little time 
lost between the time of awakening and the beginning 
of retribution. But what a time of uncertainty it must 
be! The joy of renewed consciousness is completely 
swallowed by awful fear. 

Soul after soul passed through the door and received 
the sentence in words of awful portent. Soon my com¬ 
panion turned and led the way across the room to the 
first door. The door was to the division for the hard¬ 
hearted. 

The door was black. Black hardly described the de¬ 
gree of profound darkness which was its color. No 
word spoken by the tongue of man could describe it 
rightly, for it radiated darkness. 

My companion turned to me and said: “All souls 
came into physical existence free from sin. If man did 
not know the difference between right and wrong, he 
would undoubtedly do only that which would please or 
profit him. But he has a preception of right and wrong; 
fostered and developed by centuries of social life and 
study. Some of his ideas are false; we do not blame 
him for that, for we were men once ourselves. We 
know the human mind is not flawless and we know that 
intelligence has developed under stupendous difficulties. 
But when a person deliberately violates a moral or nat¬ 
ural law, he must be righted and set upon the right 
road. This violation is sin; sorrow and crime follow 


18 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


and retribution must right the injustice. Often a 
whole life passes before the sin is paid; but death of¬ 
fers no hiding and it is paid here. So this is the plane 
of unpaid debts; debts long due and unredeemed. But 
come let us enter.” 

We opened the door and entered. As we did so, I 
heard a voice proclaiming: “Blessed are the merciful, 
for they shall receive mercy. And blessed are they who 
never shut their hearts against the sufferings of mankind • 
for on the day they are judged, many errors will be for¬ 
given because of that mercy.” 

We found the speaker to be a man of a commanding 
mien. Tall, broad-shouldered and square-jawed, he 
seemed to be the personification of moral strength, com¬ 
bined with physical force. He was dressed in a loose, 
flowing black robe, which was fastened at the shoulder 
with a red star. 

The speaker continued: “There is no unforgivable 
sin; no sin that God in His infinite love and mercy, re¬ 
fuses to forgive despite retribution. This sin, hardness 
of heart, comes as near being unforgivable as any other. 
It is a sin deliberately done, in most instances ; sometimes 
by indifference. But justice is allowed even for this sin: 
when the buffets of a hard world make the heart callous 
through many woundings, it is not considered hardness 
of heart and we do not punish. Come, follow me; and 
I will show you the mercy to the merciless.” 

As he turned to lead us, the door opened and a soul 
entered. He was led by a tall, strong teacher, who pushed 
him along. The soul had the most coldly diabolical face, 
now that the flesh had departed, than anyone I have ever 
seen. 

“Ah!” exclaimed the teacher who had been speaking 
to us: “Welcome! We have been expecting you for 
some time. Thank the Most High for ridding the 
earth of your villianies. We have a very fine room 
awaiting you. Michael, lead him this way.” 

The soul, although his arms were bound behind him, 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


19 


struggled to escape. He had regained full control of 
his body upon his entry to the division. His struggles 
were futile, however, for the strong teacher pushed him 
along easily. We followed the trio through descending 
corridors. 

The soul snarled and contorted his face into expressions 
of deamonic hate. “Whatever is in store for me,” he 
cried, “I am content; for my work will live after me!” 

“Peace!” said the teacher; “There was never a Hell 
made that would be too hot for you, but you shall live in 
torments greater than you have ever dreamed. Be com¬ 
forted at the thought.” 

Down, down, down we went; past darkened rooms and 
branching corridors, until we came to the ultimate depths 
of the division. Far, far down at the bottom of this 
abyss of tunnels, was a room. 

As we entered, a light was flashed from a round spot 
on the wall opposite the door. I saw that we were in 
a room which was carved from solid rock. It was black 
and small—a dismal place. 

The two teachers forced the soul to a seat which in¬ 
clined to the back and proceeded to fasten him. They 
clamped his thighs, near the knee, to the seat; his wrists 
near his thighs and put a clamp around his neck. Thus, 
he was secured against moving a very great distance. 
A black robe was thrown over his body, a hood over his 
head. There he was left to the darkness—and his 
thoughts. 

As we retraced our steps, the teacher spoke earnestly 
to us. He said: “All wicked souls fear darkness, because 
they fear their own thoughts. That little breath of right 
and reason which comes to all—conscience. That is not the 
brute punisher many consider it, but everyone creates his 
own conscience. Good deeds done in love and charity, are 
like sweet smelling insence that soothes and comforts. 
Evil deeds bring torment, remorse and lasting regret. 
The worse the deeds, the harder will be the regret when 


20 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


the time comes to pay; and pay you will—dearly and 
in your heart’s blood.” 

He continued: “After a time, when the soul recovers 
from the shock it has suffered, memory returns. Then, 
on the wall where the light shone, comes a review of its 
sins, in pictures which seem like memory long suppressed. 
They move with familiar gestures and speak in long-for¬ 
gotten tones. The soul can hear the sobs of his victims 
and see their pitiful pleas for mercy. He then knows the 
sorrow, pain and shattered love he has inflicted upon 
others.” 

“Remorse eventually enters his heart and crushes it 
into repentance. Who has ever discovered a greater 
punishment than the prick of conscience? And yet 
there are people on earth who could help others if they 
would ; go selfishly and blindly through life, injuring 
where they might help; hurting where they might soothe; 
living for self—self alone. They pass away, without 
knowing their wrongs, and leave a memory respected and 
honored. Do you think it is easy for the Most High to 
grant forgiveness? Do you think a daily repentance 
will erase sin? Or a yearly revival or confession will 
atone ?” 

“Believing that the Christ died for your sins will never 
wipe out his blot. He died that your sins should be 
erased after your death. Without His and other’s pre¬ 
paration, every soul might perish for his sins without 
a second chance. But belief in anything never helps at 
all; you must not only believe, but you must shape your 
life accordingly.” 

“Man must atone,” he continued, “For every act of 
hard-heartedness he ever committed that has never been 
paid for. Do not think that a death-bed repentance will 
atone for a life filled with colossial sin. It cannot be 
escaped so easily! It must all be worked out! Every 
iota! But let us step into another room where they go 
who have been cleansed, and have bitterly worked out 
this sin.” 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


21 


We followed him to another room. Here were several 
people, both men and women. They were seated upon 
benches, which half circled the chair of a teacher. All 
wore robes of black, which resembled the garb of the 
Franciscan monks. Abject and contrite was their de¬ 
meanor and I could see that hardness of heart had left 
them. Kindness and love were entering and enshrining 
them with a subtle glory. 

Their teacher was speaking: “Ah; dear ones, nothing 
matters in the world, nay even in the Universe: but love. 
If you love your brother, can you lift a hand to hurt him? 
If you love your brother, how can you stand aside and 
see him suffer? No good has ever come of shutting your 
heart to a brother in distress. Has it not been said: 
Tf you hurt even the least of these, my brethren, you 
hurt me also?’ O think—think and revise your ways; 
not from the fear of retribution, but from a genuine love 
for your brethren. The earth is but a testing place to 
try your metal; if you fail in the things earth has to 
offer, how can you be trusted in an important place in 
the City?” 

My companion, as the time was getting short, took me 
by the sleeve and we retraced our steps to the ebony gate. 

The second chamber door was black, but not such a 
radiating black as was the first. My companion led me 
before it and remarked that a grevious sin was righted 
in the second division. 

Then, opening the door, we entered. A voice ex¬ 
claimed: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for their’s 
the kingdom of heaven.” 

The speaker was a teacher of medium build and had 
even, handsome features. He wore a garment which 
greatly resembled that of the teachers of the first division, 
excegt his was of a lighter hue. 

He greeted us respectfully and said that he knew of 
our coming. “This division,” said he, “Is for the ones 
who have broken the rule of life and have not been poor 


22 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


in spirit. One part of this division is given to the egotis¬ 
tical; the other, more serious, to the intolerant. Let 
us proceed.” 

We followed him to a room where we saw several 
souls with teachers beside them, talking earnestly. I 
took the liberty of listening to one of them. He said: 
“If you have searched your soul to its furthest depths 
and know its Godliness and strength; if you have de¬ 
veloped your mind to its highest possible state; if you 
have lived on earth as you ought to have lived; if you 
have looked wrong in the face and fought it; if you 
have met sin and resisted it—then and only then should 
you have great pride. But you could never be egotistical, 
for egotism is a confession of inferiority.” 

“Pride of family,” he continued, “Is nothing but fool¬ 
ery; for all families have both fools and seers, sinners 
and good men. No one should be proud of the great 
among his ancestors, unless they became great by sacri¬ 
fice—by a life of sacrifice and love. If they became 
great through war or intrigue, shame should be present 
when you remember them; you should turn your face 
from them and try to redeem, in your life, the sins they 
commited.” 

“But the greatest folly of all is the pride of wealth. 
Think! Great wealth was and is gotten by the spoilation 
of others. In every great fortune you will discover the 
‘claws and horns’.” 

“But,” remonstrated the soul to whom he had been 
speaking, “It is true that my pride was in riches; but 
my father made his fortune in mining. He paid his 
miners well and made them prosperous.” 

“Ah!” said the teacher, “He did not spoil his miners, 
as many would have done; but how did he make his 
money? By selling to the rest of the people his products 
at great prices; thereby spoiling even more people than 
otherwise. Believe me! Wealth was made by the 
toiling of the people; they should receive their share.” 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


23 


“I see and believe;” said the soul; “The only things 
that count in life are charity and benevolence.” 

“You are quite right, my son!” cried the delighted 
teacher. “Everything we make a god of but the real 
God, turns to dust and is soon overthrown. There is 
no glory in personal pride; only in the joy of helping 
others is real pride and it is in that helping that a man 
becomes immortal.” 

We left the egotistical ones to the scourges of penance 
and proceeded to the next chamber. As we went along 
the corridor, our guide said: “Intolerant people are of 
several kinds. There is the type who professed tolera¬ 
tion when they received no toleration, but as soon as 
toleration was bestowed upon them, they refused it to 
others. I am speaking in a religious sense, but the 
same is true in politics. No nation is free from the sin 
and the countries which seem the freest are the most in¬ 
tolerant. Many are today persecuted for social beliefs; 
yesterday the persecution was because of religious be¬ 
liefs.” 

“The second type of intolerant persons, are the ones 
who are intolerant through ignorance, pure and simple. 
They sneer at learning and hate wisdom. They are the 
type that form mobs and murder innocent people. Their 
sin is great but not as great as the third type.” 

“The third type,” ho continued, “Is generally composed 
of well educated people, who see in their education an 
opportunity to get an easy living. So they enter the 
clergy. They believe in God because it pays! They tell 
of a fiery Hell and a wrathful God; they tell of the folly 
of wealth and receive a very large salary. The world, in 
its sin and blindness, calls them staunch patriots and 
good men. But, whatever they are called, they are shams 
and hypocrites; their lives are lies. They pollute the 
earth and their presence is an insult, flaunted in the 
face of the Most High.” 

After he had cooled down, he continued: “The punish¬ 
ment for these people is severe; but not half as great 


24 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


as they deserve. They should be forever damned. But 
He is merciful, even to the greatest sinners and even they 
have a second chance. But do not think they are easily 
forgiven. Also, they must pass through the first chamber 
of this division, for an intolerant person is also egotis¬ 
tical.” 

Presently we came to a darkened room in which were 
countless souls. Always through the twilight a great 
voice denounced them in this manner: “The word came 
to you, but you received it not. The truth was always 
before you, but you ignored the truth. Merciful is the All- 
Highest; for, although once rejected he comes again, 
bearing his great words of truth. Receive them; for 
the way to forgiveness shall not always be open for you 
to traverse.” 

These words resounded through the darkened room. 
I stood and gazed down at the huddled mass of misled 
souls. “Surely!” thought I, “Surely if the mists of 
misconception and ignorance had not been before the eyes 
of these people, they would have seen and known the 
truth when it appeared before them.” 

Sorrow filled my heart; for some were there who had 
much virtue and would be far advanced but for this 
great sin. Yet the sin is a grave one and must be bitterly 
atoned. 

Passion and lust were still present among the souls in 
this division and increased the suffering. 

Presently my guide touched my elbow; and at his 
whispered suggestion, we went to the next chamber. 
It was perfectly dark; and the only means by which I 
could ascertain that souls were present, was by the deep 
and mournful groans that assailed my ears. Many throats 
gave many tones to the volume, but all were caused by 
despairing and inward suffering. 

“What horrible punishment are these people enduring?” 
I queried, aghast at such evidence of pain. 

“The torture or solitude, the conscience and no escape; 
either in sleep, death or insanity;” replied our guide. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


25 


At that moment a great voice resounded through the 
room, saying: “Accursed be you, false shepherds; who 
misled your flocks for your own gain! The Most High 
will cast you forth, into everlasting darkness: until your 
actions, which so persecuted His people, will have been 
atoned for ten fold!” , 

A great groan of pain arose from the room when the 
souls heard this damnation. It smote upon my ears; 
and smiting, it wounded deeply my soul. 

“Come;” said I, “Let us depart; so I may tell my 
friends not to come to this place of torment!” 

They agreed with me and together, we retraced our 
steps to the door of the division. 

“Ah,” said our guide, “All must come here who sin 
this sin; and will abide longer if they ignore your warn¬ 
ing. The All-Highest is merciful, yet He is just.” 

We emerged from the door of the second division and 
stood before the entrance of the third division. This 
door was not black, as were these preceeding, but was 
a bright, blood-red. We opened the door; and as we 
entered, a voice exclaimed: “Blessed are the pure in 
heart; for they shall see God! Welcome; my brethren, 
to the abode of flaming passion; where all the passion, 
if combined, would consume the earth in its unholy 
flame. Come with me; here you will see the four varie¬ 
ties of passion, each separated. The first you will see, 
is the passion for pleasure; not in its natural form, 
which is a natural and cleanly relaxation, but the gross 
and sensual passion for pleasure and excitement.” 

He continued: “Each room of this division is for the 
correction of a passion which gives a certain amount of 
pleasure for the time, but afterwards, pain. When I 
speak of the passion for pleasure, therefore, I mean the 
pleasure which is not expressly forbidden by either public 
opinion or law; but which pleasure is a sin. There are 
several parts to the first room, namely: The pleasure for 
gaudy show, the pleasure of rabid excitement and the 
pleasure of disrespect.” 


26 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


‘The second room,” he continued, “Is for the gluttons 
and drunkards. In this place, are also drug takers. 
The third room is for the ones, who in life, had insatiable 
and unnatural sexual passions. This room is divided into 
two parts, one for the male and one for the female. 
The last room is for the passion of anger. Come; let 
us survey these places.” 

We accompanied him; and as we advanced, a spirit 
of frenzy was wafted to me; a hopeless frenzy. The 
further we advanced, the stronger became the hopeless, 
helpless striving for something that eluded. All along 
the journey it was present and I encountered it many 
times on the first plane. 

Presently we entered a large room. There, I saw 
many men and women, all naked; sitting in ashes, muck 
and filth. They were the lovers of gaudy show. Some 
believed in clothing their carcasses in fine and showy 
clothing. Some, in their vanity, loved their shapely body 
or their beautiful face. Some loved to have a gorgeous 
show around them. Many desired more and finer pos¬ 
sessions than their neighbors. 

There was little to remind them of such vanities. They 
were naked, sitting in filth and surrounded by lowliness. 
Each one had a mirror, a large mirror, before them; in 
which they could see a reflection of their glory. 

I noticed a strange thing, which I must mention. Not 
one had a perfect form and the ones who had taken such 
a pride in their forms while living, were possessed of the 
most gnarled forms in this place. The mirrors must 
have been relished. 

Our guide endeavored to explain these distortions. 
“It,” he remarked, “is caused by their distorted manner 
of living. Take, for instance, the case of the women; 
the face, in their case, while perfect in form, is entirely 
covered with a very thick enamel making a mask. The 
nose is uncovered; and the conditions here make that 
member very shiny. Of course they can see the shiny 
nose and that is added torture. Some have no ears • 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


27 


having hidden them during life. That is strange, for ears 
are not immoral, but decorative. ,, 

“See how smooth and fine the neck and bosom appear; 
and the limbs below the knee. They were shown to ex¬ 
cess in life and so are not hidden, not diminished here. 
The parts they tried to lace, bind and cramp during 
life have been denied them here. How much better it 
is for people to live as the Creator of All intended them 
to live; to walk through life with free, untrammeled 
footsteps, unhindered by the binding of modern clothing.” 

“The men are only slightly better than the women in 
this respect. Man is slave to fashion scarcely less than 
women. This is especially true in those cancers of civil¬ 
ization called cities. I will say no more; for once I was 
a man.” 

Tn different parts of the world, a certain adapted type 
of clothing is necessary. Man is a delicate animal, and 
cannot endure the burning tropics or the freezing arctics, 
without covering. More than is necessary is a vanity, 
and a sin; less, is a degradation and a carnality, so a sin.” 

“Remember,” he continued, “it is an unchanging law 
of nature, that every part of the living body that is not 
used, is eventually lost. In the flesh, in one lifetime, 
this seldom happens; in the spirit, the effect is soon no¬ 
ticed. For the spirit fluctuates and is ruled by the living 
body. It is not unusual that one day may see a change 
in the shape and size of the spirit.” 

“The distortions you see, therefore, is the result 
of wrong living; and cannot be cured in a day. But 
time and right healing seldom fail. In time, the cure will 
prove effectual and the members will grow to the natural 
proportions.” 

I tried to conceive the torment endured by a person, 
who was long accustomed to be beautifully decked. To 
be used, in life, to admire and to have others admire 
their beauty. Then to die and find themselves naked 
and distorted. No imagination can outdo the reality— 
the reality of these peoples’ humiliation. 


28 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


We next went to the room where the cure for rabid 
excitement is found. As we passed along, our guide 
said: “The violent passion for rabid excitement is a 
form of insanity. But it is a madness which bends 
and twists the soul making it hideous. The cure we 
use would be considered severe, but its the only cure.” 

As he finished speaking, we entered a room which 
was colored gray and green. A soft green light illumin¬ 
ated the place. Sombre stillness reigned. Upon looking 
around me closely, I observed souls fastened to low 
seats. They could not move around very freely. The 
whole thing interetsed and puzzled me greatly, so I 
turned to question our guide. To my surprise, I could 
not hear a syllable. 

He motioned us both from the room: when we had left, 
he answered the questions which had been seething in 
my brain. He said to us: “The reason the silence 
was so profound, is that all sound waves have been 
nullified by a peculiar method used in conjunction with 
the green light you saw illuminating the room. This 
method may be explained to you later, but I may not 
now. The flame of passion which burns in the minds 
of the sufferers there, is counteracted in that manner. 
In course of time, the flame dies down and is extin¬ 
guished. Only twice a year is the green light changed to 
a white and that is when spring comes to the earth. 
Then there is great rejoicing in Heaven, which is felt 
on Earth. As this sin is slight, the respite is given 
here alone. 

“Let us pass on to the next room which is for the 
punishment of disrespect.” 

We then turned our footsteps toward the third part 
of the first room of the third division of the first plane. 
As we went along, our guide cautioned us, saying: 
“There is a door of crystal between the room and the 
corridor, beyond which it is not best to venture. Stay, 
therefore, by my side.” 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


29 


At length we reached the doorway of crystal. I 
looked upon a terrible scene. By the rays of a ghastly 
white light I could see souls strapped to the floor. While 
over and around them, huge, slimy serpents writhed and 
crawled. They never inflicted bodily injury upon the 
souls in their loathsome crawlings, for they were with¬ 
out heads. I venture to say, however, the abhorrence 
and disgust created in the minds of the souls by the 
repugnant embrace, was fearful. 

“They are reaping the store of lowliness and unclean¬ 
liness which they fostered during their life; if we can 
say they really lived;” said our guide, “Brainless and 
unrighteous, they cast the vileness of their own making 
upon the wise and good. They hail from the lowest 
scum of earth and should enjoy the society of these 
reptiles. Now let us go to the abode of the gluttons, 
drunkards and drug-takers.” 

We then left these wretched people and moved on 
to the abodes of the unfortunates, to whom our guide 
referred. These sins are very similar and are atoned 
for very similarly. We came at last to the room set 
aside for the redemption of these sins. 

It was a great room, and well filled. The room was 
circular in shape and was capped by a low ceiling. The 
room was divided into three parts by sheets of crystal, 
extending from the outer wall to the centre and from 
the ceiling to the floor. In this crystal there was no 
refraction of light, so the room did not appear to be 
divided at all. 

The portion of the room which we first visited, was 
that of the drug-takers. What a scene was there! A 
scene that might shatter anyone’s faith in humanity! 
There, on benches, sat the victims of the narcotic traffic. 
The traffic fostered by the greatest country in Europe 
and championed at the point of the sword! There they 
sat in Heaven; without the thing that brought them a 
taste of Heaven on earth, but which brought bitter, 
bitter returns. 


30 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


The room was barren but for the souls and the 
benches. Yet the sickly-sweet odor of opium could 
be detected throughout the room. It was like a drop 
to one dying of thirst: keeping him alive, but making 
him shriek for more! More! 

You might say such a method would never cure the 
soul of that terrible passion; but it does. In this place 
it is an infallible cure. What agonies these souls en¬ 
dured with such denial and reminder of ‘The Fruit of 
the Gods’! Some suffered in silence, with beads of 
moisture upon their brow; but suffered bravely. Others, 
with the smell of the beloved perfume in their nostrils, 
became wild. First they prayed, then wildly cursed. 
Neither availed. 

We soon turned from this awful scene and entered 
the room of the gluttons. These creatures were fast¬ 
ened by one foot, with a stout chain, to a ring set in 
the floor. The rings were in a circle. In the centre 
of the room, just beyond the reach of the souls, were 
all manner of foods. Luscious peaches; ruddy apples, 
juicy oranges and all manner of luscious and desirable 
fruits were in the pile. 

And not only were there fruits, but everything eat¬ 
able that appeals to the palate. I asked our guide if 
I may be permitted to taste the fruit. He smiled and 
consented. I selected an apple and lo! like the Dead 
Sea fruit, it turned to dust in my mouth! How these 
souls were lured by palatable looks! Striving to get 
those foods that so dissappointed. I pitied them; but 
my guide told me that they keep struggling to reach the 
food, only to spit it forth in dust. Such a terrible 
effort after nothing; it saddened me, for it is done too 
much on earth. 

I was glad to turn from the glutton’s room to the 
room for the drunkards. These people were chained 
in a circle, as were the gluttons. Within the circle, 
beyond their reach, were sparkling liquors: champagne’, 
burgandies and claret tempted them; juleps with tinkling 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


31 


ice in a crystal glass mocked them; while good, aged 
whisky, rum and rye tempted their palates. Great casks 
of beer with dripping faucets lured them. Vodka and 
minor drinks were there. While for those with re¬ 
fined palates, they had the pleasure of gazing at cognac 
and absinthe. 

There was dust two inches thick upon the floor, and 
the slightest movement stirred up volumes, which choked 
and strangled the soul. The wine-bibbers softly and 
cunningly flattened themselves in efforts to reach the 
liquors. It seemed as though they were striving to re¬ 
semble pancakes. They squirmed upon their portly 
bellies in their futile strivings. Some dignified beer- 
drinkers licked up the drops they could reach, like 
animals. All who could not even accomplish this, wept 
and pulled the fortunate ones away. 

What would they not have done for a drink of the 
fluid? Their tongues, covered with dust, hung out. 
They were truly piteous spectacles! I turned to mv com¬ 
panion, in pity, saying: “This is truly a degrading 
exhibition! It seems a sure cure for the disease; but 
don’t they injure their souls in this manner?” 

“Perhaps they do, slightly;” he answered, “But even 
if the cure is worse than,the evil, it is a cure.” 

“It seems so;” I said, “But don’t you eliminate evil 
because it hurts the soul?” 

“In a measure, but primarily we eliminate evil because 
it is evil”, he answered. 

“I see clearly;” I rejoined, “But let us proceed; for 
if we tarried longer here, I would be tempted to help 
these unfortunates.” 

“Then let us by all means depart;” replied our guide, 
“For if you tried to defeat Divine Justice, you would 
surely die.” 

So we hurried to the third room, our guide leading 
the way and saying as we went along: “There are two 
parts to this room; one for men and one for women. 


32 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


We will visit the latter first. Their numbers are very 
large, though less than the men.” 

He continued: “This passion is good and vital; it is 
present in everyone and must be present—the human 
race would die if it were absent. It is as much present 
and is as necessary as a hand or a foot. But if this 
passion is fostered and indulged, it outgrows all bounds; 
it becomes a sin. It gnaws at life and warps the intellect. 
So this cleansing is not for the healthy, normal passion; 
it is for the unnatural desire, which fastenes its tent¬ 
acles into life and kills. The normal passion dies with 
the body; the abnormal warps the soul and continues 
even after death.” 

We soon came to a large room, which was divided 
into a number of small chambers. They were without 
number and looking down a corridor, which extended 
as far as I could see, their doors so blended in the dis¬ 
tance as to resemble a marking on the two walls. We 
entered the first one we came to and saw in the dim 
light, a woman. She was sitting upon a bench, so placed 
that she could not see us without turning. 

She was entirely naked, except for her abundant hair, 
which flowed beyond her waist. She displayed no mod¬ 
esty ; but how could she know we were there; in a place 
where no men entered ? So modesty would be misplaced. 
A female teacher, attired in the garb of the teachers, 
was before her. She was teaching of the folly of un¬ 
righteous love. 

“But it is so hard;” said the soul, “to be parted from 
the life I loved so well. I never sinned, knowing it to be 
sin and I was a loving, chaste wife. I loved my husband 
and the hours I spent with him were bliss.” 

“To be happy is never a sin;” answered the teacher, 
“And you had a loving husband. But know you: punish¬ 
ment is not given in this division or this room, for things 
you have done; rather is the impurity in the soul 
cleansed. You nursed in your heart a terrible passion; 
it warped your soul. For know you—marriage does 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


33 


not condone this fault; it is a personal sin and not a 
sin against the world.” 

“Am I to be condemned for what I might have done? 
Is that just?” she asked. 

“Your passion was unholy and carnal;” replied the 
teacher. “Passion was in your heart, was fostered—grew. 
It must be absent before you can advance. For this is 
a place where earthly things cannot come. You will not 
be punished; merely cleansed.” 

“Let the cleansing continue, then, until I am pure;” 
said the soul, “but do not condemn me for the failings of 
the weak flesh.” 

“The Most High encases souls in flesh, but He does 
not condemn the souls for the weakness of the flesh,” 
replied the teacher. “The process here is to cleanse the 
earthly impurities from the soul, to prepare it for its 
flight to the City. Such a thing cannot be done on earth; 
that is impossible.” 

We turned away here, at a motion from our guide and 
proceeded along the long corridor which stretched be¬ 
tween the litle chambers. As we proceeded, he spoke to 
us, saying: “That is typical of the souls received into 
this room. They sigh for the little blisses which were 
their portion on earth, but overlook the greater ecstacies 
of the City. Now let us view a woman, fresh from earth, 
who was notorious for her carnalities in a carnal world.” 

He led us to a great door, which he unfastened with 
great difficulty. We advanced straightway, but were 
assailed by such a blast that we were nearly overcome. 
Such a blast of passion, frenzy and vileness, that we 
were fain to close it again. 

However, we advanced boldly; and descended a long 
flight of stone steps. The smoke there was so thick, that 
we could not see a foot before us. At last we came to 
the bottom of the flight and entered a room. 

A red light filled the room and pierced huge, rolling 
clouds of smoke, that covered the ceiling. This terrible 
illumination revealed everything in awful distinctness. 


34 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


In the centre of the room was an altar, which appeared 
to be composed of a soft substance. It was fitted with 
gyves, imbedded far in the block. Fastened thereon 
firmly, lay a woman. 

She was entirely naked: but her nakedness assaulted 
the eye, for her entire lack of shame and restraint impres¬ 
sed the fact that she was naked. Her hair which was 
raven black, streamed to the floor. 

Her ankles were fastened against the side of the altar, 
which was curved from the head to the foot and cut 
entirely straight from the top to the floor. The altar 
was as wide as her body and slightly longer. Her legs 
were bent at the knees and fastened so that her feet 
nearly touched the ground. Her knees were fastened at 
the curved edge of the altar, while a band was around 
her waist. Her wrists were fastened with bands of 
steel. So she was secured beyond hope of escape. 

All through the murky air, visions flitted; enticing— 
maddening visions; each adding to the blinding passion 
that tore her. She writhed and foamed at the mouth, 
in her passion; she gnashed her teeth and screamed 
aloud: “Give me but one more embrace; one more night 
of love!” 

When she saw us, her passion grew beyond bounds of 
belief. Had she not been so securely fettered, she must 
have broken loose. If ever there were a burning Hell, 
it must blaze up to Heaven, to be able to cause such 
torment. 

“My pleadings have borne fruit!” she cried, when we 
appeared; “Come to my arms, for I desire thee greatly! 
Am I not desirable? Am I not good to look upon? 
Come then and turn this Hell into Heaven!” 

No shame was present, either in her manner or 
thoughts. She disgusted me; but when our guide was 
about to rebuke her, I said: “Let her be. We are making 
her suffer; then why rebuke her. Let us go and leave 
her alone; for if we cannot ease her pain, we should not 
aggravate it.” My companions agreed with me, and to- 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


35 


gether we left the room and journeyed to the other 
section, or that for men. 

Did I say men? It could not have been men I saw. 
All were naked—as naked as the woman I had just seen. 
The men, however were not fastened, but were running 
wildly about the room. They were futilely pursuing 
phantoms. Phantasms; ghosts of the things they long 
had pursued on earth. Such enticing—beautiful phan¬ 
toms ; always evading, yet always luring—luring and 
deceiving. Dancing and flitting before them, they always 
eluded, but never discouraged. 

Need I relate the groans of despair; the snarls of 
foiled desire or the enticing cries of the pursuers? The 
ruddy fire of passion burned in every bosom—it lighted 
the room with a Hellish glow. The frenzy pierced my soul; 
the bedlam arose in waves of horrid sound. Even now 
I am shaken by the memory of that scene; I shall neither 
forget it nor see its equal. 

Silently we left these men and proceeded to the next 
room. This place was divided into dark grottoes. 
Following our guide, we entered one and beheld a strange 
sight. There, in the furthest end of the room, was a man 
chained to a large slab of ice. The broad, smooth sheet 
was inclined to the rear and occupied the entire end of 
the room. 

The man was terrible to behold; for within his head, 
burned a terrible searing flame. It shone from his eyes 
and illuminated the room with a lurid light. It appeared 
as though his head was on fire. 

“Such is the man who allows anger to scorch his intel¬ 
lect. The monstrous furies which he enjoyed and 
fostered throughout life have so twistered his soul, that 
he now is in a bad state. Time and the beautiful forgive¬ 
ness of the Most High are the only remedies. Fury is 
a passion which wrecks the soul more than any of the 
others. The animal, man, is naturally a furious being; 
when he succumbs to fury, it reverts him to the beast. 
Other passions do likewise, but not to such a hideous 


36 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


extentsaid our guide. “Let us now return to the door, 
as this is the end of my division.” 

“So be it,” I replied, “Let us return to the gate.” 

The door of the fourth division was grayish-black, 
most like the color of black-frost. As we entered, a voice 
resounded, saying: “Blessed are the meek, for they 
shall inherit the earth. Welcome, brothers! I rejoice at 
another opportunity given us to present the wonders of 
the planes to man.” 

The speaker was a tall, gaunt stranger, dressed as a 
teacher. He appeared to be a splendid example of moral 
strength; one who has met the weakness and moral 
cowardlinesses of the world and come through all un¬ 
daunted. 

He wore a robe of the same hue as the door through 
which we had passed. He spoke to us, saying: “In this 
division four great sins of arrogance, all related in a 
way, are redeemed. The lowest is wrong ambition ■ 
the next is avariciousness; the third is scorn and the 
last is hate. In all these, the rule is broken: ‘Love ye 
all men above yourself.’ For then you may have more 
reason for self regard. Let us go and see the manner in 
which these people atone for this great sin.” 

He led the way to the first room, in the centre of 
which was a crystal pool. Lying around this pool were 
souls, all drinking their fill of the pure and limpid 
waters. There were some who refused to drink; for the 
benefit of whom, teachers stood and held the reticent 
heads beneath until they drank freely. 

Our guide said: “Hate, whether justified or not in 
the code of the world, disfigures the soul. Thus it is 
unfit for heaven. This pool is fed by the stream of 
forgiveness, which flows at the command of the All- 
Highest. They who drink, receive a portion of that for¬ 
giving grace which pardons all. This water is the only 
thing in the universe which will quench hate, restore the 
healthy proportions and renew the vitality of a soul, so 
disfigured. Remember, also: they whom you see here, 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


37 


have passed through the purging of most sins, especially 
the sin of envy. They are here now, only because they 
hate those who have wronged them. In doing so, they 
have broken this rule of life.” 

“The wisdom is divineI remarked. 

“Yes; it is wiser than any human can imagine;” he 
replied, “For it is divine wisdom. We will next view 
the punishment of they who sat in the seat of the 
scornful.” 

“Friends,” said I, “It is so peaceful and so full of 
God’s love here, that I would linger.” 

“It is growing late;” said my companion, “I can hear 
the crow of the cock; let us hasten.” 

“Ay, let us hasten;” said our guide; “As I was saying, 
we will next view the scornful. They scorned others, 
less happily situated than themselves. Behold them.” 

We passed from the first room and into the second. 
There we saw a deep pit sunk in the centre of the floor. 
The pit was filled with mud, slime and filthy water. 
The edges of the pit were steeply inclined and as smooth 
as ice. 

In this choice and exclusive watering place were innu¬ 
merable souls. In fact the pit, which was large, was 
so filled with souls, that I was fairly reminded of a 
cobblestone street: the heads were so numerous and 
so close together. 

“I am proud of my charges,” said our guide, “I have 
in my division, more souls than any other division except 
the sixth; but mine are much more select. Here, with 
the scornful, are the envious; the first had and sinned, 
but the second had not and also sinned. Neither had 
contentment nor spiritual health which will cause the 
downfall of your country in years to come. It is the 
white race’s curse.” 

The souls were much stirred to hear our voices, an 
unusual thing with them; they craned their necks to 
obtain a better view. Some, who had not been there 


38 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


long, tried by ’pushing and climbing over their fellows 
to gain the brink. They were unsuccesful. 

I heard a voice say to them: “Ye who were arrogant 
and proud in the flesh, behold how lowly you are now! 
What remains of all in which you had pride. Where is 
all for which you scorned? But you have at least some¬ 
thing to preserve your vanities. Go back into the muck of 
your own making!” To the envious, the voice said: 
“Ye sluggards—parasites; who spent the precious years 
of fleshly existence in desiring the possessions of others! 
Ye spent the time ye might have used usefully, in envy. 
Ye have done nothing but evil on earth—remain in evil 
now!” 

I was truly pained to see those souls so lowly, for many 
had high rank on the earth. After gazing at them for 
a while, I could muster no pity, we departed. After pas¬ 
sing through a long and narrow corridor, we finally 
came to another room. 

This was the room for the avaricious. This room was 
peculiar in several respects. In the first place, it had 
many sides; ten, I believe. Then, the centre of the 
ceiling, which was greatly higher than the walls, came to 
a point. Upon looking upward from the floor, this room 
gave one the impression of being within a paper pyramid. 
In the apex of the ceiling, a light burned. 

In the centre of the floor were piled all manner of 
precious and desirable jewels and gold. The avaricious 
and greedy were struggling for these riches. 

They were forever searching for some spot in which 
to hide the treasures they carried in their arms. Or 
even some spot in which they might lay the gold until 
they could get more. There were no darksome places 
where no one would bother the treasure, to take it from 
them. There was no corner where they might protect 
the surplus treasure. Always that cursed light shone 
down from the ceiling, in pitiless, discovering rays. 

So they did the thing that was in their hearts; they 
piled their treasures against the side of the wall and 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


39 


hurried to the central pile of desirables. They got more; 
but alas—when they returned, some one had taken that 
which they had left. Then it was amusing to hear them 
cry: “I have been robbed!” 

But there were some who showed a little more com¬ 
mon sense than the crowd; they went partners, one to 
guard the pile, the other to fight for more. Soon the 
pile in the centre was exhausted and the treasures cen¬ 
tred in a very few. But the owners of the treasure 
were just as naked as the crowd! 

It soon reached this cornered state while I watched. 
As a natural result, it soon after occured that all the 
treasure was in the possession of a powerful league. 
It was certainly interesting how the people protected 
those baubles. 

Then a voice cried: “See how much worth the treas¬ 
ure is now; and see the fruit of your labor.” Then 
the light went out and a terrible whirlwind blew in 
the room. I could hear cries of fear. 

The light came on, and lo: all the treasure had van¬ 
ished, but dry leaves propelled by the high wind flew 
about the room. 

Then the voice said: “Oh fools that you are, to 
place your trust in a god of gold, for he has feet of 
clay. The God of righteousness is the only true God; 
turn to Him and forget these baubles.” 

Some there were who listened to the words and cried 
in their hearts: “Deliver us, oh God, from this place 
of folly and teach of thy own true name.” These few, 
my companion said, were purged of the sin of avarice 
and sent ahead. 

We soon left this room, interesting to me as it was, 
and came to the last room of the division. This was 
the room for the wrongly ambitious. It was perfectly 
dark, except for some strange phenomena. In the air 
floated strange phantoms. These strange looking ob¬ 
jects seemed to typify different human ambitions. 


40 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


It was a peculiar thing; I saw crowns, official in¬ 
signia, marshal’s batons and other emblems of power 
and glory. There were even worlds floating amid this 
jumble and confusion. 

Below this jumble, a great crowd pushed and fought. 
All were striving for a prize, all were failing. Our 
guide explained that it was not for these odd prizes 
they were striving but a strange hallucination possessed 
all these people. Those objects created a belief among 
the people that if they could grasp the phantoms, they 
would achieve their lifelong ambition. Yet the phan¬ 
toms always eluded. Hence they were so bitterly striv¬ 
ing. 

We did not linger long. My companions seemed in 
a hurry, besides there was always the danger of be¬ 
ing trampled under foot; for the ambitious are never 
careful about others. So we soon retraced our steps 
to the fifth division. 

The door of the fifth division was the color of a 
blanched face; its very aspect seemed fear-stricken. 
When we entered, we heard a voice say: “Blessed 
are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you; 
and say all manner of evil against you, falsely —for my 
sake. Then rejoice and be exceedingly glad; for great 
shall be your reward in Heaven.” 

The speaker was a teacher. He was dressed in a 
flowing robe of a pearl-gray color. Around his waist 
was tied a steel wire flagetelle. He seemed to be a 
strong, stern executioner of Divine justice. Faithful 
and devout himself, he expected all others to be the 
same. 

He spoke firmly and with the air of a pious and 
worthy man. “Come;” he said, “And see how these 
fools, who could not withstand the weapon of ridicule, 
are atoning for their weaknesses. The soul that can¬ 
not withstand ridicule, is a weak soul. Even though 
this be the only fault, it cannot enter Heaven; for to 
enter Heaven, the soul must be as pure and spotless 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


41 


of vanities, weaknesses and sins, as on the day it was 
born. Then, and only then, can it hope to reach the 
goal.” 

He led us to a very large room. Yet the ceiling was 
very low; in fact, not above six feet from the floor. 
Souls, lying prostrate, filled the room; yet, despite the 
fact that none were secured, I could detect no move¬ 
ment among the vast throng. It seemed to be a region 
of sleep; to be a place where its sable wings abode 
forever. Yet, I was assured, no sleep occurred after 
death. 

All were lying in sackcloth and ashes. Often, across 
the legion of inert bodies, a sigh arose like a winter 
wind through barren branches. Often low lamenta¬ 
tions like waves of remorse, swept over and above the 
throng; voices of regret. 

Our guide, looking over the room, said to us: “These 
are the souls, weakened by cowardice, who must re¬ 
main here until strength returns. Each surrender, each 
sacrifice of the soul to the body, weakens the soul but 
does not strengthen the body. Souls have come here 
so weak as to be non-supporting. The denial of truth 
is a grave sin; it does incalculable harm. Two forces 
are always struggling for supremacy throughout the 
universe, evil and good. Both are real, concrete forces. 
You are seeing how the purging of sin takes the gross¬ 
ness from the soul and makes it able to enter Heaven. 
The souls who enter here from the lower divisions are 
not the same in appearance or substance as when they 
first entered this plane. After they leave this division, 
they have something which they did not have when 
they entered. Thus, you see, that this division is dif¬ 
ferent from all others you have visited previously. 
Formerly they left something behind them in their 
education. From now on, they will go away with 
something they were without before. Ah! Very, very 
few ever enter Heaven without passing through this 


42 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


division; even though they had no other sins! There 
are more here than you would ever imagine!” 

I heard weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
Many, who on earth considered themselves strong, were 
as weak as sinners in their souls. Many who thought 
that to desert truth would do them no injury, were but 
weakening their souls, so that the germs of more deadly 
sins could creep in and destroy. 

The door of the sixth division was white; but it had a 
touch of blue, making it appear a cold, barren white. 
We opened the door, which was cold to the touch and 
a voice spoke to us. “Blessed are they who hunger, 
and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” 

The speaker was a short, placid teacher, who spoke 
with a depth of assurance and kindliness that was sooth¬ 
ing. He was dressed in a robe of spotless white, which 
hung over his portly figure in graceful folds. 

“Come,” said he, “And I will show you the ones who 
were content to live without righteousness; but, on the 
other hand, did not sin a vital sin.” 

He led us forthwith, to a large, oval room. In the 
centre were countless souls, all clothed in their virtue. 
The clothing of the majority was, I am sorry to say, 
scanty; on earth it would have been considered shocking. 
But these souls were free from most of earth’s sins, so 
their lack of clothing was not striking. 

What struck me as strange, at first, was the light. It 
seemed to be the light from a flame; for, in flickering 
and flaring, threw wavering shadows about the room. 
Our guide noticed my perplexity and pointed upward. 
It was then I saw what had caused such a peculiar light. 
In the centre of the ceiling, which was dome-shaped, 
shone a wavering, blazing flame. 

Teachers stood beside each soul and told of the 
strength of God. Ah, sometimes it took long to create 
a love for good in the heart of a soul! In course of 
time, this happened, however; then it was the soul was 
through the first plane. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


43 


Then the blazing flame would let down a tongue of 
its fire, which would light upon the soul’s head. Then it 
was time for the soul, with the love of God and the desire 
for good in its heart, to step forth to the seventh divi¬ 
sion. 

We followed a soul, which had received the flame upon 
its brow and came to the door of the seventh division. 
It was broad, divided in half and was pure and spotless¬ 
ly white. We entered a large room; not large compared 
with some I had formerly seen, but large compared with 
rooms on earth. It was brilliantly lighted from a source 
I could not detect. 

Upon our entrance, a teacher hurried to us and said; 
“This is the final division of the first plane. From here 
the souls advance the second, or building plane.” 

At this juncture, several souls entered. Our guide 
hurriedly excused himself and led the souls to an altar¬ 
like object which stood in the centre of the room. 

The souls lay upon this and composed themselves, as 
they were ordered by the teacher. Soon, I saw them grow 
limp and lifeless. It seemed as though life had fled. 
Then they slowly faded until only the altar was visible. 

“That is the way,” explained our guide, “We send the 
cleansed souls to the second plane. Their soul leaves 
the grosser astral body and becomes finer and more sub¬ 
limated. As we are in the astral body ourselves, we 
cannot see them.” 

“Exactly;” said my companion, “And so our journey 
is ended. On earth, the sun is shining; you must go. 
If you remember this trip, write it down; for if that 
comes to pass, in seven days I will again call upon you 
to visit the remaining three planes of the empire 'without 
the city.’ But if you remember when you awake what 
you have seen, write it all down. Now get upon the 
altar and do not forget. Farwell.” 

I clmbed upon the altar. “Farewell,” I said. 

I felt myself dropping, dropping. The light of the 
room contracted; it grew smaller and smaller until it 


44 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


reached the size of a tiny star. Then darkness fell upon 
me. I felt as though I were falling for eons of time. 

* * * * 

Then, suddenly I stopped. A dim light dawned before 
me. I opened my eyes and collecting my senses, found 
myself in my room, in bed. When I arose, I felt as 
though I had never slept; but I arose with the memory 
of that trip fresh upon my mind. It was so impressed— 
so indelible, that I shall never forget it—I could not if 
I wished and I do not wish. So I have written it down. 
This is the story of my trip to the first, or purging plane 
of the empire which is Without the City. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


45 


Chapter III. 


INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND PLANE 

My second great dream occurred exactly as my com¬ 
panion had predicted: a week subsequent to my visit 
to the first plane. I retired early on that memorable 
night, as I had not felt well all day. Shortly after my 
head touched the pillow, I was fast asleep. 

My first conscious sensation was one of extreme light¬ 
ness. Have you ever in your dreams, felt as though you 
were floating in space? Such was my feeling at that 
period; and it was soothingly peaceful. 

Then, as though I had been transported as swiftly 
as light travels, a complete scene stood before my eyes. 
It was as though I had been standing in its midst all 
the while, when a light had suddenly been lighted to its 
greatest brilliancy. 

I was standing in an extremely odd room. This room 
was fan-shaped, the angular end being behind me, while 
the side walls diverged at possibly a thirty degree angle; 
until they met at the other end of the room, a considerable 
distance away. This wall was equidistant from the 
angular end in every part; therefore it made a curved 
line. The whole room might be said to resemble the 
sector of a circle. 

There were no windows in the room and but four door¬ 
ways. Three were on the curved end, while one was 
in the angular end. The latter was by far the widest; 
it looked like a blind Cyclopian eye; for darkness filled 
it utterly. Darkness awaited without, filling this wide 
door; not the darkness which could occur on earth, but 
t^e darkness of the unfathomable void. 


46 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


Not so with the other doors; for although they were, 
like the wider doorway, doorless; and stared like eyes 
without lids, light shone through the gaps they left in the 
wall. The lights shone through these doors held back 
the darkness that strove to enter. Through the doorway 
to the left, shone a green light; through the centre one, 
streamed a violet light; while through the doorway to 
the right, shone a pure white light. These lights com¬ 
mingled, forming ghastly and unearthly tints, giving to 
the room a wierd and eerie effect. 

Leading from each of the three doorways were fur¬ 
rows ; tracks worn by the feet of countless souls, who 
through the ages have passed that way. 

Through each of the three doorways came souls; 
flowing, flowing steadily ; never stopping, none returning. 
Like three streams they joined and passed out into the 
darkness, which swallowed them completely. Never was 
there a great number, but constantly and never ceasingly 
they went into oblivion. 

Yet I am sure they did not know of this trip, for they 
moved like automatons ; like beings devoid of all initiative. 
No expression changed their countenances; no look of 
life illuminated their features. “What a poor fate have 
souls,” thought I, “When no more hope of freedom can 
be extended to them beyond the grave than the freedom 
they eni~y in the flesh.” 

While I was musing in this manner, a voice by my 
side said: “Welcome back to the Kingdom’s school 
house.” 

There is the difference between the kingdom of men 
and the Kingdom of Heaven. Earth is ruled by men with 
different thoughts, standards of honesty and ideals” in 
a hit-or-miss fashion; often for the personal profit of 
the rulers. Heaven is ruled by men with no thought—no 
opportunity for gain ; enveloped all the while in the beau¬ 
tiful presence of God. Love too, instead of being an 
abstract and formless term, used in a thousand different 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


47 


ways and with a thousand different meanings; is in 
Heaven, a real and concrete presence. It is ruled by the 
good for righteousness. 

I recognized in the voice which spoke to me, the com¬ 
rade of the first plane. Upon turning, I had my belief 
confirmed upon again seeing my friend. 

“Greetings!” said I; “I have returned to visit other 
parts of this world; to note the wonders of God and His 
love, justice and mercy.” 

“Well said!” exclaimed my companion; “But hereto¬ 
fore you have seen only his justice against wickedness. 
To-night you will see the justice of worthiness and its 
reward. Before, you have seen but little love; now you 
will see complete love; for in this kingdom, love is life.” 

“But follow me speedily,” he continued, “And we may 
be able to view all the wonders of this plane, for the 
time is short and much can be seen. First, I will describe 
the plane in which we will travel.” 

“See,” he continued, “upon the broad side of this 
room are three doorways. To the left is the one to the 
second plane; the next is to the third plane, whilst the 
one to the right is to the fourth plane. It would be 
better for me to say that these doors are from the planes 
instead of to them; for none ever returns this way.” 

“Behind us, on the other side, is a great, gaping door¬ 
way, with darkness without. This is the door to the 
universal void, through which a soul must pass if it 
would return to the earth. It is through this door that 
all souls who will not, or cannot pass through the planes, 
are returned to the flesh to re-enter life in fresh and 
clean bodies; to start life anew. Then they will have 
another chance to attain complete soul development. 
Mayhaps they will also taste some of the few joys that 
earthly existence extends to human beings.” 

“Do not look on these souls with either favor or dis¬ 
favor; do not feel either contempt or admiration for 
them; for some there be who merit some of these feelings 
and some who merit others. So be content with noting 


48 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


this place carefully, for it is important; then we will 
explore the region of the green light, which leads to 
the second plane.” 

So saying, he advanced to the door to the left, beckon¬ 
ing to me to follow. I obeyed; and passed from the room 
with the four doors, perhaps forever, into another room. 

It was a large, round room, through which a strong 
green light shone. It illuminated every ncok and cranny. 
But the strangest thing of all was: there was no door; 
then how could so many souls emerge ? 

“It is through here that all souls who abandoned the 
second plane must pass,” said my companion; “Here 
they again obtain an astral body. For they had discarded 
one in the transition between the first plane and the 
second.” 

It was about that time I discovered the means of en¬ 
trance to the room. The only object which relieved the 
bareness of the room, was a large altar set in the centre 
of the floor. It reminded me of the altar in the seventh 
room of the first plane. The only difference was: this 
one was black, while the other was white. 

As I was gazing at the altar, something happened 
which decisively ended my perplexity. Over the altar 
appeared a cloud, which gradually became denser until 
it finally took the shape of a man. Soon he was so solid 
as to be opaque. Very shortly after, he moved and 
stiffly descended from the altar. He then walked the 
length of the room, disappearing through the door and 
so was lost to my sight. 

After he had disappeared, my guide took my hand and 
said: “Come; if we would visit the second plane, we 
must discard the astral body which we now inhabit and 
enter the realms of morality clad in the soul alone. 
You will find the discarding of the astral body not a pain¬ 
ful operation, so come with me.” 

He led me to the altar, upon which we lay. After a 
time, souls appeared where no souls had been visible. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


49 


Yet the room appeared the same and a green light shone 
over all. 

My companion then arose and bade me descend. 
When he had descended, he looked at me and laughingly 
said: “It seems as though the operation were successful.” 

“Is it true,” I asked, “That I have discarded my astral 
body ?” 

“Yes,” he replied, “It is true. Just as true that you 
are now in the second plane. But I have much to show 
you; let us proceed. Come.” 

I followed him from the room into a long, narrow and 
seemingly endless corridor. The floor seemed to be com¬ 
posed of black glass or crystal; while the walls and the 
curved ceiling were of black marble. The whole corridor 
was lighted by a greenish light, giving the whole a 
strange and gruesome effect. 

We travelled swiftly; much faster than if I had 
been walking on earth; yet it was quite a time before 
we reached the end of the corridor and entered the ante¬ 
chamber of the second plane. 


50 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


THE SECOND PLANE 

The room we entered resembled the ante-chamber of 
the first plane in shape and size only. As far as the 
superficialities, the two rooms were alike; but what a 
difference in spirit! Here a spirit of pure and righteous 
meditation reigned; a spirit which is sometimes dis¬ 
covered upon the earth, but which seldom lingers. Like a 
flower transplanted from the fields of heaven, it soon 
fades. On the second plane, and thenceforward, this 
spirit is so usual and so uninterrupted, that no one but 
me noticed its presence. So an inhabitant of the slums, 
when brought into the clean, wholesome country, notices 
a freshness and vitality in the air which the native takes, 
with all else, for granted. 

Leading into this room, were three doorways: the 
doorway through which we had entered, the doorway 
leading to the second plane and a much used doorway, 
through which the souls, advancing from the first plane, 
entered. 

We investigated this latter doorway and paid a short 
visit within its portals. We found a small room which 
was barren of all ornamentation and had but one thing 
of interest within. This was a black altar, which oc¬ 
cupied the centre of the floor. 

This room had but one doorway, the one through which 
we had entered. In this room, too, the souls entering 
first appeared in the form of a cloud, hovering over the 
altar. Then, growing clearer, they assumed the form of 
a person. Thus it appeared plain to me: when, in the 
seventh room of the first plane, the soul gradually faded 
away to a mist and was gone, at that very time the soul 
appeared here in the form of a cloud; and thus entered 
the second plane. Whether the fir£t and second planes 
occupy the same spots; the latter being contained, in¬ 
visible in the former; or whether they are a universe 
apart, matters little, I believe. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


51 


This room, important as it undoubtedly was, did not 
delay us a great length of time. Therefore we soon left 
and bent our course to the doorway of the second plane. 
We passed by numbers of souls, all showing life and in¬ 
telligence in every feature. No pain left its mark upon 
them, although they must have suffered acutely in their 
passage through the first plane. Naturally, too, they 
showed nothing of the joy and peace, for these were still 
to be experienced. 

What a different sort of anticipation reigned in this 
room! Here, they had nothing to fear, and much was in 
store for them: love, joy and the peaceful bliss of Heaven. 
No wonder I cried: “Oh what a place of peace and 
happiness is this! What a place for desire for the life 
to come! Surely Heaven is no better than this!” 

But my companion smiled, and softly replied: “Not so. 
If the City were no better and the life therein no fuller, 
it would be a barren place indeed. These souls know 
nothing of Heaven's requirements; and not knowing, 
they would be useless within the City. They resemble a 
slate which has been cleansed of an error; and is only 
waiting for that which is right to be graven thereon. 
Until these souls learn all the necessities, they are not fit 
to be citizens of the Great Cosmos. The labor is great, 
but the reward will far exceed the toil. Come, let us 
proceed; for unless we do, we will never complete our 
journey in time.” 

We at length came to the great door and passed within 
its portals. Upon doing so, we faced a great chair upon 
which rested a cloud. From out of this cloud, a voice 
spoke and said to us: “This is the second plane; where 
the soul, stripped of all that is earthly, is clothed in the 
Heavenly. Clothed in the garments of virtue, the clothing 
of the City. Enter, then, and observe how virtue is given.” 

As the voice ceased, my companion took my hand. He 
led me past the great chair and to the doors of the divi¬ 
sions, which were beyond. They were seven in all and 
their doorways were hewn out of the living rock of the 


52 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


cavern. Here, instead of the massive doors of the first 
that.” 

plane, were light, wicker gates; thinly made. They were 
so thin, that one could almost view the interior and make 
the fancy form heavenly images. 

life and all strive for something they cannot attain. Be 
not disturbed; I have no curiosity beyond that which 
lays before me; but I am burning with impatience to see 

Upon the crest of the first gate, the one farthest to the 
left, was a single star of silver. No other ornament 
adorned this fragile gate. My companion led me before 
it and said in a loud voice: “Devotion sustaineth.” 

As he spoke, the gate opened of its own volition allow¬ 
ing us to enter. As we passed through, my companion 
remarked: “That gate appears fragile; but if I had not 
uttered those words, which are the motto of this division, 
all the power of the earth might hammer in vain against 
its front.” 

Then we passed along ; through a canyon so deep and 
with sides so precipitous, that they seemed to overhang. 
We had not proceeded any great distance, before we 
perceived someone approaching. When he had drawn 
near enough to discern details, I saw that it was a teacher. 
He was dressed in the usual white robe and had a silver 
star upon his shoulder. 

He hailed us with great geniality and greeted my com¬ 
panion with the utmost of friendliness, though tempered 
with respect. “Hail—poet and wonderer!” he exclaimed 
to my companion, “Who sought on earth for those things 
only to be found here! The one you lost—and the goal to 
which you could not attain—”, 

“Hush!” exclaimed my companion, “Curb your gallop¬ 
ing tongue! I may not divulge my identity to my friend 
here; you will betray me!” 

The teacher seemed so rebuked and crestfallen, that 
I pitied him; and said: “What you have said will not 
betray him. All poets have lost something dearer than 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


53 


He smiled at my hint and said: “Be it so; you shall 
behold all that speedily. This is the division for the teach¬ 
ing of devotion, which is the foundation of all progressive 
morality. Without devotion, no one would enter the 
City. Follow me.” 

As we followed, the walls of the chasm became less 
steep, until they became high hills. As they lost their 
steepness, they became farther apart and more fertile. 
Soon verdure and all kinds of wild flowers grew upon 
their slopes, lessening the wild and desolate appearance. 
Certainly the hand of no man was put forth to pluck 
these blossoms and no man’s foot ever crushed their 
frail petals. 

I looked back and saw how the hills became higher and 
higher, until where the canyon ended and the cave began, 
they had ascended into mountains. Above the cave, they 
kept rising, covered with a mantle of white, until it 
seemed as though they touched the sky. 

In the meantime we had come to a narrow pathway 
which bordered a little, wayward stream. Soon the hills 
were far enough apart to allow a beautiful, sloping 
meadow. On this, spread out like a velvety tapestry, were 
innumerable, azure flowers. They were forget-me-nots. 
It seemed as though some sower had passed along, 
scattering these reflections of heaven all the way; that 
they might grow and he be remembered. The further we 
went along the bank, the thicker became the flowers; 
until it seemed as if we were walking between cool, 
mountain lakes. 

Then we came to a teacher, surrounded by a group of 
pupils. He was speaking quietly, in a tone of gentle 
authority to his charges and I was content to abide there 
for a while and listen to his words. 

I will neither repeat all his lecture, nor will I give 
his lesson word for word; but it might be an opportune 
time to give the pith of his discourse. He said: “Devotion 
to a cause means full belief in the goal of the cause. Not 
necessarily exalting the leader, who may be but the 


54 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


personification of the thought, but in the thought itself. 
No cause can last without truth; no matter how many 
lies cover and change its semblance. A belief without 
truth is but a dead rotten thing; a routine of ceremonies 
and an upholding of dogmas. And as causes and beliefs 
contain truth, so you must love the truth in them; you 
should follow and staunchly defend that which holds the 
greatest truth. The things your eyes behold and your 
reason advises, you know to be truth. How can you, with 
the truth of this beautiful valley of flowers about you, 
fail to believe this the greatest truth to follow ?” 

“Yet you cannot fail to believe; for all the temptations 
and disbeliefs of the earth have long since fled. Believe 
and follow; the universe is before you. Disbelieve, and 
the way back is open; a new life in a new body, a gracious 
boon, follows. Oh be devoted to truth and truth will come 
to you; portal after portal of wisdom shall open. Follow 
truth and nothing shall be hidden but the power over 
life and death.” 

This, I imagine, will give a faint idea of the principles 
taught in this division. I turned to my friends, saying: 
“These principles are surely wise. I cannot help think¬ 
ing: if the people of a community on earth were taught 
in such a manner with such an honesty of purpose, the 
community would be benefited.” 

Our guide smiled at my words and said: “Such a 
thing would be simple—if you could exclude all the 
selfishness underlying the teaching on earth, and taught 
what we teach, the country so developed would be the 
greatest on earth. This is the greatest community in the 
universe, for it is the only real community. We cannot 
allow anyone who is not qualified, mentally and spiritu¬ 
ally, entrance into the City. They who have been refused 
admission, either because of any inferiority, or who re¬ 
fuse to be taught those things which would develop the 
faculties they possess, are deemed unworthy. They can¬ 
not join the multitude of the blessed. They are banished 
from the higher world and sent into the great void, which 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


55 


separates the earth from the City. Then they are reborn. 
My friend here may have spoken before on this subject; 
but it is one of such vital importance, that one cannot 
emphasize it unduly.” 

“He has spoken of it before,” I rejoined, “But it is a 
subject so interesting to me, that any amount of repetition 
is not unwelcome. Yet it raises questions in my mind 
which you must satisfy. The greatest question is: Does 
all the labor expended on these planes become lost and 
useless when the soul returns?” 

“Decidedly not so;” replied my companion; “You re¬ 
member that on the first plane you were told: ‘The life 
of the human body shapes the soul.’ Nothing is more 
wrong than to believe that the soul is immaculate and 
segregated from the body. No; it is as though you poured 
water into an earthen mold. As the mold is altered, so 
the water which is within it is altered. So, also; the mold, 
which is earthen, makes the pure water impure. So, 
when the mold is broken, the water must be purified. 
But, unlike my parable, when the human mold is broken 
and destroyed, the soul which is within it leaves in the 
same form and development it acquired during life or 
its captivity.” 

“So, when the soul is developed and broadened, such 
as only we can do and returns to earth, it has added 
strength which it loses only through its own sin and folly. 
If a human could or would live a life of purity and Godli¬ 
ness, his soul would expand far beyond the clay thing 
which encompasses it; then would his soul impress every¬ 
one he might meet and they would be forced to say: 
“What a remarkable man—a good man.” This is not 
idle optimism as many would lable it; it is truth of the 
Tnost absolute nature.” 

“It is a beautiful truth;” I said, “And if it could be 
accomplished would be a triumph of Heaven. But in a 
world which has as its motto: ‘The survival of the 
fittest/ or the unscrupulous over the honest, it would not 
succeed. Perhaps the world has swung on its pendulum 


56 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


from interior to exterior development; but it, in the 
meantime suffers from want of spirituality.” 

“And who knows it better than we I” exclaimed our 
guide, “The pendulum will swing again; but in the mean¬ 
time, you cannot conceive the struggles we endure, every 
hour. People who read the ‘advanced’ thinkers are our 
greatest burden. I will neither go into details, nor will I 
name any of these erroneous souls. Only the truly great, 
and they have been very few, have made any brilliant 
progress in this region. Nor have the scientists made 
any great progress on this plane; but the next, the plane 
of wisdom, is their Heaven. There, even now, you will 
find men who died years ago, still learning. One has even 
increased our knowledge.” 

“Can such a thing be true ?” I exclaimed. 

“It is true,” he replied, “It might not be so surprising, 
if you consider that he was the best informed man of his 
time. One can learn much in twenty years.” 

“I can imagine one can;” I said; “I can imagine this 
man, delving deeper and deeper in the rich mine of pure 
knowledge; steadily, for twenty years. That is a long 
time to search for wisdom, especially after a life filled 
with study.” 

“But we have forgotten all about the division of de¬ 
votion, in discussing devotion. Let us return to the door, 
for you have seen all this division has to offer in that 
line,” said our guide, putting an end to the conversation. 

He continued: “Know you: that every division has not 
only a motto, which your companion uttered when he 
entered, but it also has visible symbols of accomplishment. 
That is: when a sould thoroughly learns and absorbs all 
the teachings we have to offer, he is advanced to the next 
division. Upon leaving this division, he is equipped with 
its symbol, a pair of snow-white sandals. So it is with 
every division; and as he advances, garment after gar¬ 
ment, virtue after virtue is bestowed upon him. When 
the time comes that he has absorbed every virtue that is 
taught on this plane, he is clothed in virtue.” 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


57 


“And, too,” he continued, “The symbol of each division 
means admittance into the next and so the full garment 
means entrance into the third plane.” 

By this time we had entered the high and narrow 
valley; and shortly after we reached the wicker gate. 
Here our guide turned back, leaving us with warm 
affirmations of friendship. Soon we left the first division 
and were standing before the second. 

There were two stars upon the crest of this gate, but 
in all other respects it resembled the first. My companion 
turned to me and said: “The keynote of this division is 
gladness. Without gladness the world would end life 
here, would be gray and ungrateful.” 

Then, turning to the wicker gate, he said: “Gladness 
enricheth.” 

When he had so spoken, the door swung open; admit¬ 
ting us to the second division. Very soon after entering, 
we met a teacher, who greeted us; saying: “Enter into 
the school of gladness and see what love for gladness 
really is.” 

He led us through a canyon; narrow, but with sides 
not nearly as steep as the one on the first division. We 
had not gone far before it widened considerably. Soon 
, I saw, on my right, a natural spring; flowing from a cave 
and dashing down the mountain wall in a laughing water¬ 
fall. We followed it down the canyon, where it made 
little cataracts and rapids; -for the valley was rocky if 
one left the path and the way was constantly descending. 

The valley was shaded by giant trees; of such great 
height, that the lowest branches were at least one hundred 
feet above the ground. Our companion, seeing my 
surprised scrutiny, told us that the trees were oaks; 
and were almost eighteen centuries old. As no plant life 
ever dies there, but grows and thrives forever, what must 
be the size of plants that grew ages ago. So I thought ; 
but our guide, knowing my thoughts, shook his head and 
said: “No plant is allowed to grow for over three thou¬ 
sand years; when it reaches that age, it must be killed 
and a new one conceived and set in its place.” 


58 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


“But do plants propagate and multiply here?” queried 

I. 

“Nothing propagates here; that is left to the world. 
We can, however, take the divine spark of life from the 
Most High; and, taking it, form any manner of life. 
And we hesitate in taking life; for this is the realm of 
life, not death.” 

Interspaced between the giant oakes were what I took 
to be small trees; but I looked up and saw them to be 
roses. It was hardly believable; in the world a rose vine 
was considered large if the stem was two inches thick; 
but here were rose trees with stems over a foot in thick¬ 
ness! The vines ran from tree to tree and wove a 
canopy so thick that the eye could not see what was 
above. Even here, on the under side, the roses were 
thicker than the stars in the Milky Way. The perfume, 
as sweet as nectar, permeated the atmosphere. 

As much as I wanted to linger in this great grove, 
the time grew shorter; and rpy companions were anxious 
to leave. Unwillingly, we left this spot and joumied 
for perhaps a mile under this ruby canopy. Leaving the 
trees behind us, we came to a grassy meadow, with 
little knolls at intervals. 

We soon came to a knoll upon which sat a teacher 
at whose feet were a score of souls. The teacher was a 
venerable appearing man, one to excite respect. His 
hair and beard were long and flowing. His eyebrows 
were long, and shaded his eyes. But his eyes seemed 
pools of the deepest water, in which were great mysteries. 
I forced my eyes from his visage and saw that his dress 
was the customary costume of the Citizens of the City. 
His only distinguishing mark was a star at the shoulder. 

I cannot believe he was really old, for his actions 
betrayed the vigor of youth. Our guide drew us aside 
and said in a low tone: “This hallowed soul is a special 
messenger, sent by the council of the City, to give final 
teaching to the souls of this division who have learned 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


59 


the principal points of virtue. When he has instructed 
them, they are ready to advance to the next division. 
He is a great man and noble; for he is content to come 
here and teach these souls, when he might be a member 
of the council, even the highest council.” 

“Let us hear what he is saying,” requested my com¬ 
panion ; so we went over and sat on the grass to listen 
to his words. 

“The secret of gladness on earth, is a wholesome out¬ 
look on your present existence and a staunch belief in the 
life to come. But such gladness is past and behind you. 
Still, there may be a sorrow which overshadows you; 
an anxiety about those left behind. Let not your heart 
be troubled in regard to the dear ones; let not your 
mind wonder: “Why cannot I comfort them in their 
sorrow?” You may say: “No assurances reach them as 
to my welfare; I have joumied to a country from which 
no word returns. Each one of you has taken something 
out of their lives which may never be replaced. Be 
comforted; we have a visitor here, who will carry back 
word of your fuller life, to your loved ones.” 

Thus speaking, he gestured in my direction. I was at 
once the centre of interest. Many requests and messages 
were showered upon me. How many strange things I 
heard! The man said well who said: “The grave covers 
many secrets.” 

But they became importunate; and I silenced them with 
these words: “I will carry a word of hope and consolation 
to every bereaved human being. Especially you who are 
past the plane of retribution will be satisfied; for the in¬ 
tuition of your loved ones will tell them that you are 
safe and happy. Believe in my words; I will not betray 
you.” 

“Oh my master;” I said to the hallowed teacher, “Con¬ 
tinue your sermon; for it is ennobling.” 

“Your life here,” he continued, “Will be like a musical 
scale; rising higher and higher, becoming more divine 
all the while. In time, only the divine music of the 


60 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


City will equal your development. New happinesses will 
open to you, with all of Earth’s joys and none of its 
pains. There is happiness in the fulfillment of labor. 
There is happiness in creation. There is happiness in 
living. All these happinesses shall you have, and the 
transcending happiness of communicating with the Uni¬ 
versal Spirit.” 

My companion drew me a\yay from these words, which 
like divine tonic, filled my spirit. He almost had to 
force me along, I lingered so—trying to catch more of the 
joy the teacher radiated. 

Soon he was out of sight and hearing. Then I could 
turn my attention once more, to the valley. The hills 
were still high, but had lost that jagged grandeur which 
had so filled me with awe. Green grass covered their 
summits and slopes, while deep valleys, at intervals, 
seamed their sides. 

The little brook was larger and quieter; it flowed 
placidly between green banks. Oak trees still appeared, 
but at intervals; while hemlock and lindens grew in 
large groves. And all around, in the most unexpected 
places, the roses bloomed. 

Then we came to slightly higher ground, upon which 
was a tiny village. The white houses were covered with 
rose vines, loaded with white blossoms. No signs of 
life disturbed the stillness and the only living thing I saw 
was a large dog, sleeping in the short street. 

I was surprised to see an animal, for I had thought 
that none, even the most intelligent, possessed a soul. 
But there he was, serenely curled in the light, with not a 
trouble; not a flea. 

. However, he was the only living thing; except the 
light, winged birds. As we passed through the village, 
the dog opened one friendly eye, to look at us while the 
birds flew in circles about our heads. 

As we left the village, we heard the piping of a pipe 
and later, laughter. Such laughter is never heard on 
earth. Children never laugh in that manner; for the 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


61 


laugh of a child is empty and unknowing. This laughter 
was the laughter of people who had met and conquered 
the woes and tribulations of the world. 

Soon they appeared, a score or more. They were mak¬ 
ing bouquets and wreaths of flowers. Dancing in sheer 
joy ^nd decorated with wreaths, they reminded me of the 
legends of the Golden age. Their laughter and shouts 
welled in the balmy air. 

The air was balmy, as balmy as a morning in June. 
Insects; harmless, colorful insects, hummed and buzzed 
among the flowers. It was a day to make one glad of 
life—and glad of the lifting of the sorrows and cares of 
earth. 

The path from the village crossed the valley. We 
followed it closely, crossing the stream by way of a rustic 
bridge. It was not until we had reached the hills to the 
right, and had begun to climb, that my companion turned 
to me and said: “It were best, even for the change, if 
we leave the school for happiness by way of the mountain 
road. It is shorter than going by way of the doors.” 

“It is the same to me,” I answered. 

“Then here I must leave you,” said our guide, “There 
is little more for me to say that has been left unsaid. 
The labor, if you would call it labor, is amply rewarded; 
and the symbol of achieving gladness is the symbol of 
this division. As beautiful and as joyous as this division 
may seem to you, it is but a barren sprouting of wisdom. 
When you see the fulfillment of the toil on these planes 
and when you see the product of our labor, you will 
perhaps wonder just how much each division—each 
teacher had to do with the result. Not much, perhaps, 
but important. Now I must leave: may you reach the 
ultimate.” 

“And may you prosper and get strong in your work;” 
said my companion. 

Our guide turned away and was gone before I could 
bid him good-bye. I was truly sorry; but my companion, 
seeing my crestfallen air, took me by the hand. “If you 


62 WITHOUT THE CITY 

wish him well,” he told me, “He will know and love 
you.” 

I was comforted; and putting aside regret, I followed 
my companion up the mountainside. It was an easy 
path and we climbed higher and higher. We, in course 
of time, reached the summit, and paused to look about. 
I looked down upon the valley from which we had come. 
What a scene! There it lay, spread before me; with 
each object visible in the crystalline air. The green was 
emerald green; the little stream was a thread of silver 
light, while spots of crimson appeared here and there 
throughout the length of the entire valley. 

Then my companion touched my arm and we started 
our descent into the valley of the third division. I looked 
down upon what seemed to be a sea of green. As we 
descended, the green proved to be evergreen trees. The 
pungently cleanly odor of these trees reached even to our 
height. 

As we descended, my companion began talking and said 
to me: “My friend gave us practically all of the truths 
of his division, but he omitted one item which, though 
not vitally important, detracts from the completeness of 
the whole. He spoke of the symbol of the division, but 
did not say what the symbol was.” 

“And what is the symbol?” I asked. 

“It is a loose undergarment of the purest white,” he 
replied, and was silent for a time. It was not until we 
had nearly reached the foot of the hill that he broke 
the silence, saying in a pensive voice: “The school of 
Justice is a pleasant spot in which to abide. It has al¬ 
ways been my favorite; it reminds me of the cedars of 
Lebanon.” 

* * * 

Soon we reached the foot of the hill and journied along 
a little path which was covered with a thick carpet of 
needles. High above us towered the trees. We had 
not covered a great distance before we came to a clearing. 
All round, the trees made a circle, broken only by a path 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


63 


we were on and another, exactly opposite us. In the 
centre of the clearing stood a teacher, surrounded by 
students. 

He was talking to them; and among his words were 
these: “Incline your ears and heed my words. True 
Justice is the greatest mark of Divinity. It is all know¬ 
ing, unbiased and fixed to the right. Not the earthly 
right, which is set by the inhabitants of the earth and 
is variable even as they are variable. It is of the 
Heavenly right I speak: which is fixed and immovable. 
Yet Justice is tempered by mercy; but not tempered to the 
point of weakness. So, in short, justice is composed of 
full facts, foresight, wisdom and sternness. It is tem¬ 
pered with mercy, love and kindness. These are the ele¬ 
ments of Heavenly Justice.” 

We soon left the clearing and made for the entrance. 
For quite a time we passed through the forest of ever¬ 
greens ; but in course of time it ended and we came to a 
clearing. The path was fenced on either side by colossal 
oaks. These trees bordered the road nearly to the door; 
even to the narrow valley. 

My companion said to me: “The division of Justice is, 
perhaps, not as important a division as some of the others. 
Its influence, however, is felt; and its lesson needed to 
complete the soul for the City. This division has an 
emblem, as have all the others, this one being a loose 
robe.” 

He then stood before the door and said: “Justice 
broadens.” 

The door opened and we emerged. While we were 
approaching the next division, I glanced back and saw 
the door we had left was crowned by three stars. The 
door of the fourth division, I saw as we stood before* 
had four stars. My companion spoke in a loud voice 
these words: “Purity rewardeth.” 

The door swinging open, we entered and were met 
by a teacher. He welcomed us, saying: “This is the 
school for purity; not the purity of no sin, but the purity 


64 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


of ideals and purposes. This is a most Godly attribute, 
but purity alone is not sufficient. The teachings of the 
other divisions must be added to perfect a soul in mo¬ 
rality. Come and follow me” 

We followed him through myriads of pure white 
lillies, which filled the valley from side to side. They 
resembled a snowy blanket, with a silver thread making 
a serpentine path through the centre. This was a tiny 
stream which glinted in the midst of the flowers. 

In the far distance appeared a clump of trees, which 
were covered with white blossoms. As we approached by 
means of a little path, which followed the bank of the 
stream, more clumps and groves of trees appeared; until, 
I could see clump after clump dotting the landscape, far 
and near in the valley. 

We soon came to the first clump I had noticed; and 
passing through the outer circle of trees, came to a grassy 
knoll. From the summit of this knoll grew a wide 
spreading magnolia tree; so great that it over-shadowed 
all the other trees in the clump. It was in blossom; and 
you cannot imagine the beauty and purity of the sight. 

Beneath this tree, upon the knoll, stood a teacher. 
He was talking to a circle of souls who sat at the foot of 
the knoll. We lingered awhile and heard the following: 
“Purity of heart means not only the absence of carnal 
passion, but it includes true piety. True piety is in every 
sense a turning from the wrong to right. It includes 
clearness of purpose, which is given fronr without; love 
of the Most High, and man: which comes from within; 
and a yearning to develop, which is stimulated by a com¬ 
bination of things without and within. These things 
create pure ambition, which may be a yearning to help 
some worthy person, not with any hope for reward or 
even thanks, for the service rendered. Pure objectives 
are also required; for a human being must have some 
ideal to set his hopes. Such is true piety; such, with 
something added, is true holiness. ,, 

“Come,” said my companion after a time; “Let us 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


65 


depart. You now understand that purity and piety go 
hand in hand. He who is pure of heart, is in communion 
with God. He sees Him in the sky; in the sea, every¬ 
where. He who is pure in heart—has the clear sight of 
the things which are right. It is only when the pungent 
odor of sin reaches him, that he loses this gift; which he 
had from birth. It is far better, many authorities to the 
contrary, never to come near sin, than to try and over¬ 
come sin. Fly from it as you would the plague; for bod¬ 
ily diseases only tear the body; but sin tears the soul/’ 

“So much for the fourth division;” he continued; “Let 
us return and continue our journey. When the soul 
leaves this division, it is vested with a snowy-white robe. 
This goes over the robe acquired in the third division.” 

By this time we had reached the door; then bidding 
farewell to our guide, we emerged; and stood before the 
fifth division. Upon the top of this door were five stars 
of silver: one for each virtue acquired in each division. 

“The virtue gained in this division,” said my com¬ 
panion, “Is purpose. Let us enter and behold how pur¬ 
pose is instilled into the soul.” 

Here he said in a loud voice: “Purpose guideth.” 

The door opening, we entered and were met by a 
teacher, who said: “The attribute acquired in this division 
is the power of purpose. That is: we instil into the 
souls the determination to reach a great goal to. which we 
point. You have probably gotten some intimation of the 
goal to which we all strive. The effort is worth all the 
grief and utter discouragement endured on the road. 
But come and observe how we instil purpose into the 
souls. Follow me.” 

He led the way over a trail cut in the side of the hill. 
The floor of the canyon was narrow and rocky, over 
which tumbled a turbulent mountain stream. From the 
hill above us, even to the bottom of the hill, grew crawl¬ 
ing vines which made a natural, green passageway. 
Soon the floor of the canyon grew less steep and gradu¬ 
ally the stream broadened into a natural lake. 


66 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


The path was still in the side of the hill, but not very 
far above the surface of the water. As we travelled 
along, the teacher continued his lecture. He said: “You 
know, some souls come to this plane with the belief that 
they can at once enter into brothership with the Great 
Dead, without preparation. They are soon informed to 
the contrary, with a different effect upon the different 
souls. Some enter into the work cheerfully and zeal¬ 
ously, others grow discouraged. Some even refuse to 
listen to the teachings we have to offer and refuse to learn 
anything.” 

“That,” he continued, “Is the reason this division is in 
existence. This is the halfway mark of the journey to 
the City, and many weary of the toil. This is a place of 
spiritual refreshment and encouragement. Some souls are 
even sent here from the first plane, leaving here to go to 
the first division of this plane.” 

By this time we had come to a peninsula which jutted 
out, a little lower than the path, into the lake. This neck 
of land was not large, for all it contained was a huge 
banyan tree. This, however, covered the entire island, 
some of the limbs trailing in the lake. 

Beneath this tree sat a teacher, around whom, on dif¬ 
ferent roots, sat pupils. We stayed to hear him say to 
them: “Purpose is the secret of every great work. With 
right purpose one can accomplish anything, regardless of 
obstacles. This for which you are striving, is the greatest 
object anyone could ever hope to reach. Yet it is not 
difficult to accomplish. If you can acquire virtues here 
as easily as you acquired faults on earth, it will be child’s 
play. The plane above this will teach you the command 
of objects, material and spiritual. The fourth plane is 
a place of spiritual preparation for the City. You must 
cast off all ties that bind you to the earth and exert your 
desires in an earnest effort to reach the goal which we are 
helping you to attain: the Heavenly City.” 

He continued: “Perfect peace, love and accomplishing, 
reign there. It is the goal; and a purpose for which to 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


67 


strive. The obstacles are not as troublesome as they 
seem. But a combination of desires and effort is needed 
to reach the goal; and I know you will be successful.” 

I was profoundly impressed by that lecture. It was 
convincing and inspiring. But we could not stay long 
and soon left; our guide leading the way. 

We passed, at intervals, peninsulas and islands on 
which were scholars and teachers. Soon we reached the 
end of the lake, where the little stream continued. We 
crossed by way of a natural bridge. Beneath us, as we 
crossed, the little stream made a lovely waterfall. 

On the other side, we continued our circumnavigating 
and it was not long before we had again returned to the 
head of the lake. We then retraced our steps to the door 
of the division. 

Taking leave of our guide, we left and soon stood be¬ 
fore the door of the sixth division. I have neglected to 
mention, that the symbol of the fifth division, is a girdle, 
fastened by a silver star. 

The door of the sixth division was crowned by a row 
of six stars. My companion said as we stood before 
the door: “Love fulfilleth.” 

The door opened and we entered. A teacher met us 
and taking us by the hand, said: “This is the last division 
of the second plane. Here love is taught, the culmination 
of all the teaching of this plane of love. Before this, 
love for specific virtues has been taught. Here the soul 
is taught to love for the pure joy of loving. Come this 
way.” 

We followed him through the valley, which gradually 
broadened into a plain. The further we progressed, the 
more wonderful became the scenery. The hills were of 
bare rock and of the most delicate tints and colors. Red 
seemed to predominate. 

However, as rocky as were the hills, the plain was level 
and fertile. There was no stream, that I could see, but 
willows and sycamores signified the presence of water. 


68 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


We had travelled quite a distance and had stopped 
frequently to admire the beauty of the scenery, when I 
glanced down and noticed a peculiar flower. I plucked 
it and saw the most peculiar growing thing I had ever 
seen. It had seven petals, set in a circle nearest the 
stem, which were orange. Upon these petals and of the 
same size, were six of an emerald green. Then upon 
these, but much smaller, were three petals of a violet 
color. The centre of the flower, where these petals 
joined, was raised quite a degree above them and was a 
silver white. 

It was a strange blossom; and as I viewed it, not 
from the viewpoint of a botanist, it struck me as being 
very prophetic and significant. 

I was aroused from my meditation by the sound of a 
bell. I had never before heard such a mellow, liquid note 
from any bell. The vibration throbbed everywhere; it 
seemed as though the air and ground were rung as a 
bell. The sound slowly died away, making the stillness 
more apparent. 

Then it occured to me that I knew nothing of the bell, 
but if I asked, I might learn. I turned to my companion, 
so I might ask, but saw that he was intensely concentrated 
upon a ring which he wore upon his finger. At that 
moment, a voice spoke out of the air and said slowly, 
in solemn tones, these words: “The citizen of the City is 
thrice blessed; he is little lower than the angels.” 

When the voice had ceased, my companion raised his 
head and roused himself from his thoughts. He smiled 
at my questioning look and said in explanation: “Once 
in every twenty four hours, all the Citizens of the City 
go into communion with the spirit of the Most High. It 
lifts us to further endeavors. The work of the teacher is 
not easy, especially those of the first plane. They are 
not thanked by the ones they help. With the teachers 
on the other planes, the condition is, naturally, better. 
Yet the spiritual strain is great and must be relieved. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


69 


This communion with the Most High does that and gives 
fresh strength.” 

‘‘And what does your ring signify?” I asked. 

“The ring?” he replied, “It is our badge of citizenship. 
Observe it closely: the centre is raised in the shape of a 
pyramid. In the centre of which is a perfect diamond. 
Around the pyramid is a ring of white, then a ring of 
violet, then of green, then orange. Around all is a band 
of gold. This ring is bestowed upon all who enter the 
city.” 

“It must have a symbolical meaning,” said I, “What is 
it?” 

“The centre is the City; it is built like a pyramid, 
strong and everlasting. Like the pyramid in the ring, the 
City is precious. The diamond in the centre signifies 
the truths which are interwoven in every part of the City. 
As around the pyramid is a ring of white, so around the 
City is the fourth plane; white being the symbol of soul 
power. As around the ring of white is a ring of violet, 
so the third plane, the plane of wisdom, is without the 
fourth plane; violet being the color of regal wisdom. 
So the second plane is without the third and the first 
without the second. Green being symbolical of morality 
and orange of lack of sin. As around the whole ring 
is a band of gold, so the rule and power of the righteous 
bind the planes and City in one empire, an Empire of 
righteousness.” 

We went farther up the valley, until we came to a wide, 
smooth lawn; upon which sat numbers of souls, listening 
to a teacher. He said: “Observe the soul plane. The 
earth is the lowest habitation for man. It is a place to 
test his worth. It tests a man’s worth harshly! If the 
earth did not do so, no soul would ever enter a body. 
Man, as he now exists, is the highest phase possible for 
the time. God created man out of the dust, or the lowest 
life, of the earth. As the bodies improved, so the spirits 
improved; until when the bodies became reasoning beings, 
the souls became responsible for the actions of the bodies. 


70 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


when the planes were constructed as they exist to-day, 
the souls found a means beside their own effects in at¬ 
taining the ultimate.” 

He continued: “Many had reached the ultimate by their 
own lives in the flesh. Considering the difficulty of the 
feat, it is surprising that any achieved that end. Let me 
define the requisites of each step of heaven. The ulti¬ 
mate speaks for itself: it is a one-ness with the Universal 
Spirit, or God; complete in spirit and merged—a part 
of the universe. The next lowest step is spiritual com¬ 
pleteness, but still an individual soul, potentially great 
but still a self-ruled being. The third degree is still less 
glorified; but complete in knowledge of the universe 
and exalted in the near presence of God. The fourth 
is the lowest. The soul there is sinless, imbued with the 
great moral truths and developed spiritually as far as 
the labor of others can accomplish.” 

“These are the four degrees of the inhabitants of the 
City. The rule, to return to my subject,” he continued, 
“Of both the Planes and the City, is love. These are 
the things you must love: the First Plane, for it purges 
sin; the Second Plane, for it gives truth and love; the 
third Plane, for it gives wisdom; the Fourth Plane, for it 
lights the white flame of spirituality. Love the City, 
for it is your home; love the All-Highest, for He gave 
you life. Love for the Christ and the council, for they 
created the Planes. Love all other souls, for they are 
your brothers. Love they who persecute you, for they 
develop your soul. Love the ones who love you, for 
they develop their own soul. Love everything in the 
Universe except the pitiful ones, and them pity.” 

Such was the teaching of Jesus, but it seems to have 
been discarded. If man had believed in it, and ruled his 
life by it, most of the grief, poverty, heartaches and sin 
would not be; it is not possible. Yet people are apt to 
choose the easiest way and most do choose it. It is easier 
to be indifferent than to love. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


71 


Slowly we retraced our steps, in silence and soon 
emerged from the sixth division. My companion then 
led the way to a large gate. Upon entering, we found 
ourselves in a narrow, room-like canyon. In the centre 
of the canyon was an altar-like object. 

Our guide pointed to it and said: “This is the place 
from which souls go to the third plane. However, as the 
souls are not shed in the transition, they are transported 
with the speed of light from one place to another. 

“This is the end of the second plane,” he continued. 
“In a fortnight you will come again and view the third 
plane. Farewell, then, until we meet again.” 

“Farewell,” I replied. 

He imprinted a kiss upon my brow. Then my sight 
grew dim and my senses reeled. I lost consciousness, 
for quite a time. The next thing I knew, I was lying 
upon my bed and the day had commenced. 

This, then, is the record of my travels on the second 
plane. 

END OF THE TRIP TO THE SECOND PLANE 

/ 


72 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


THE THIRD PLANE. 

A fortnight after my visit to the second plane, I fell 
asleep and was carried, in the spirit, to the third plane. 
With the swiftness of light was I carried. And when 
the veil was lifted which sleep had cast upon me, I was 
standing upon a broad plain. Neither walls nor hills 
obstructed my view and only a few trees could be seen. 

After I had turned around to see these things, my 
companion stood beside me. He informed me of his 
presence by saying : “This is the third, the plane of wis¬ 
dom. It is my home. Therefore we need not be de¬ 
pendent upon a third person to lead us and describe. 
I know this plane as a pilot knows his harbor—and 
that is well. This is an interesting region and contains 
many things which will be incomprehensible to you, tied 
to earth as you are. Come with me and I will lead you.” 

We were standing upon a very small island, which was 
hardly ten feet across. As he finished speaking, a nar¬ 
row causeway appeared, which connected our island with 
the nearby shore. As we passed over this bridge, my 
companion said to me: “Here we have none of the hin¬ 
drances encountered on the earth. We are all one family; 
large and scattered over a vast expanse, but connected by 
mutual education and affection. Here are learned the 
basic laws of matter and energy. I promise you they 
will be interesting.” 

We were hemmed in on both sides by crystal water; 
deep, but so clear that I could see the rainbow-like plant 
life in the depths. Yet no living creature but the plants 
inhabited the depths; no fish, bivalve or carnivorous 
ceature spent an ideal existence there. But the natural 
beauty, although it held me, did not slacken our pace; and 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


73 


we were soon on the mainland, leaving all the beauty 
behind. 

I looked up and saw that we were standing before a 
great chair. Upon the chair rested a cloud, larger than 
any I had seen on the two preceeding planes; but unlike 
them, inasmuch as light seemed to be within and shine 
through its darkness. Then a voice spoke to me and 
said: “This is the plane of wisdom; and it is time for 
you to explore its wonders and mysteries. More is 
known here than the earth-dwellers will know—even 
though a thousand centuries should pass away. Yet the 
basic law is but one, and the branches two; out of which, 
intertwined and relevant, spring all the laws of the uni¬ 
verse. Yet the basic law you must not name; for there 
is no language upon the earth that can give it a name. 
But the two branches are known and recognized. These 
and their co-relation you may name and describe. You 
are forbidden to describe the rules for commanding 
energy and the method of creation. These are forbid¬ 
den ; we will guide you in the others. Now go.” 

As the voice ceased, I bowed down before the chair 
and departed. We crossed a little stream, which joined 
the main body of water a little below the chair, by way 
of a little amber bridge. My companion said, upon my 
remarking that amber was a peculiar substance with 
which to' build a bridge, that every material was avail¬ 
able; and the kind of amber they use, is not brittle, but 
resiliant and strong.” 

The little bridge delighted me. As we crossed, the 
light was reflected from the water and shone through the 
bridge, resulting in a most peculiar and pleasing tint; 
for the light that shone through the water was not white, 
but violet. The resulting tint was, as near as I can judge, 
ochre. 

Crossing the bridge, we came to the first class. Each 
class on the first two divisions is on a separate island; 
each island being connected by a little bridge. The 
third division is much further inland and in hilly country. 


74 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


The class we first saw, was congregated in a marble 
stadium. In shape, it resembled a Grecian Ampitheatre. 
The seats, arranged in tiers around the centre, were of 
marble, as was the centre of the stadium. There the 
teacher stood and was talking to the students when we 
arrived. He had just begun and I was fortunate in 
hearing his whole lecture. 

He said: “Force is the first great unit of the Universe. 
It is the power that binds all things together. Were it 
not for force, the Universe would be scattered. Of what 
would it consist? Down as minutely as you can go, the 
smallest particle is held together by force. Each particle 
is composed of still smaller particles and so on, ad fine- 
turn. If force were to be destroyed, everything would 
be without form, and void. There would not be any such 
thing as matter and a world would be—nothing. 

“Force/’ he continued, “Produces electricity, heat or 
any motion. Force holds the worlds together and forces 
them to whirl in their accustomed orbits. Take your own 
solar system as an example: power in the form of gravi¬ 
tation holds it together, while power in the form of 
momentum causes the planets to revolve. Gravitation, 
electricity, heat, light and sound are all related; they are 
all power. And what is power? And what connects 
power and matter? I will tell you, for you must learn: 
it is .the primal law of the universe.” 

Here he gave the law. It seemed like simple language; 
but I could neither understand, nor could I put it into 
words if I had. Yet if I had understood, I would never 
have written it here, because of the commandments I 
have received. 

The teacher continued: “Force, under this law, always 
travels forward, in an absolutely straight line and con¬ 
tinues to do so, unless halted or diverted by a more 
powerful force. The effect of force is in direct ratio 
of one particle acting upon another. Force alone can 
effect force. Friction of a collision between moving 
force of one hand and inert force acting in an opposite 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


75 


direction. The result is either the stopping of the former 
or the carrying along of the latter. All matter contains 
inert force and is only moved when it comes into contact 
with greater moving force.” 

This is the pith of his lecture. Everything is com¬ 
pelled by force; without which, the universe would be 
chaos—dead. The wondrous thing, the thing which is 
a great problem is: how did the great machine, the Uni¬ 
verse, get its first propulsion ? Has all the energy existed 
forever, which is immeasurable; or did some great, pre- 
vading power in the Universe give it its initial start? 
Both alternatives are inconceivable; but one must be right. 
Unless the prevading force is the energy of the Uni¬ 
verse and so has existed forever; neither faltering nor 
stopping. 

From this place we went to the second division, by way 
of another little amber bridge ; the stream being about 
twice the width of the former. All the way past the 
bridge, along the road, were vast cedar trees. The 
needles made a thick, crisp carpet. Their pungent odor 
filled the air. The trees seemed to whisper sweet mes¬ 
sages between themselves; which my earthly ear could 
not translate. 

“Peace, happiness and solitude are the greatest aides 
to learning;” said my companion. “Here are all these, 
and more. ,, 

Suddenly we came to an ampitheatre of wondrous 
beauty. It was sunk in the ground, so that the branches 
of the evergreens formed a canopy above it. The ampi¬ 
theatre was composed of pinkish mother-of-pearl, of won¬ 
drous beauty. The seats, set in tiers around the centre, 
were of ebony; and steps, in each quarter, reached from 
the top to the bottom. The centre was separated from 
the seats by a narrow, low railing of jasper; on which 
were set precious stones of a milky white. These stones 
resemble pearls; but could not be, for they were a foot 
in diameter. 


76 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


A teacher was addressing a class. As I approached, 
I heard these words: “Force and matter are so closely 
bound together, that an attempt to separate them would 
be futile. Imagine Force without Matter; you cannot. 
For force requires matter for it to function. Neither 
could you imagine matter without force; it is equally 
impossible. Matter, as you have learned, is composed of 
an uncountable number of small particles. These parti¬ 
cles, in turn, are composed of yet smaller particles. 
There is no more an end to their minuteness, than there 
is an end to the Universe. ,, 

He then proceeded to explain how the “elements,” one 
hundred in all, are composed of a much smaller number 
of gases of different weights. He gave them names and 
the proportions of each in each element. It is in the 
control of those gases, he explained, that souls control 
the natural forces, The names of the gases I have 
witheld, for I believe they will not be of much interest 
to anyone but scientists. I might add, that in ordinary 
cases, they combine to form a solid; but on application 
of heat, they turn again into gas; not, however, break¬ 
ing into elementary form. 

We soon left the division; and journeying through a 
forest of hemlock trees, came to another stream. We 
crossed by way of an amber bridge. The wavelets 
seemed to whisper low songs which were almost speech; 
but alas, I could not understand! 

Leaving the stream, we came to land which rose in little 
hills. The path wound around, gradually climbing 
higher and higher, until the scenery became mountainous. 
Then, at intervals, we crossed chasms by way of amber 
bridges. After we had journied for quite a time, we 
came to a gigantic chasm, the bottom of which was in¬ 
visible. I estimated the distance across to be at least 
five hundred feet. 

Across this awful gulf was a narrow, amber bridge. 
As we crossed, a noise like the rushing of wind filled 
the great depths,.until I was afraid. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


77 


My companion, sensing my fear, turned and asked in 
a low voice: “Fear you God ?” 

We had not gone far, after crossing the bridge, before 
we came to a great temple, carved out of the solid rock 
of the hill. Great noises issued from its wide door and 
flashes of light. 

“Come, he said, “Let us enter.” 

I followed him with trepidation; but we soon were 
safely inside. A great central chamber, capped by a lofty 
dome: were my first impressions of the edifice. Large 
columns supported the roof and giant crags, pinnicles 
and ledges gave an appearance of wild, unsmoothed 
strength to the room. Several doors opened on all four 
sides of the main chamber. 

We entered the one to the left, which led into a per¬ 
fectly dark room. Presently the gloom was lighted by a 
very faint, spectral glow; but not strong enough for me 
to distinguish any object clearly. Then the range of 
light so brightened, that it seemed to collect and amalga¬ 
mate. I had the impression of standing on the rear plat¬ 
form of a train which was passing through a tunnel. 

The light so concentrated and brightened, that I could 
scarcely gaze upon it without flinching. But the color 
soon changed to a yellow, then to a cherry and finally 
disappeared altogether. Then, from the ceiling a light 
was thrown upon it and we approached to look upon it 
more closely. The matter was in the form of a globe but 
entirely molten, with but patches of solid upon its surface. 

Finally the entire surface was solid, with but tiny holes 
showing the molten interior. Then a dense gas, which 
had been driven off by the heat, settled and covered the 
surface with a silver coating. Only the holes through 
which the fire shone, were uncovered. 

Presently the coating was broken by little wrinkles. 
Again and again the wrinkles appeared, only to be slowly 
dissolved by the gas. But the wrinkles appeared faster 
than the water dissolved them; until, finally a small por¬ 
tion of the globe was covered with brown. In a very 



78 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


short while, the brown spots were covered with green. 
As my companion left at this time, I also was forced to 
leave. As he offered no explanation of the thing I had 
seen, so I give none. 

We entered the door to our right, which was before us 
when we entered the building and were in a spacious 
room. It was well lighted and well arranged. The three 
walls we saw were shelves, on which were phials and 
bottles. Some seemed to be empty, while others contained 
liquids of different colors. 

On either side of the door, arranged in tiers, were seats 
for the students; while in the centre of the room was a 
large table. In the centre of the table was a crystal dome, 
which was about six feet square. There was a door in 
the further side, and holes at regular intervals, about 
one inch in diameter, in the door. 

There was no class in session at the time; but the 
teacher in charge, upon request by my companion, agreed 
to demonstrate some of their experiments. 

While lifting two bottles down from the shelf, he said: 
‘'Here are two elements, which combined, will make 
lead. And,” he continued, taking another bottle, “This 
element, added to the other two, will make gold. As they 
are heavy gases, I cannot place them upright in order 
to empty them from their containers.” Then he took three 
tripods; and, opening the door of the case, set them di¬ 
rectly opposite the three holes in the door. Then he took 
the bottles and fastened a metal top over the openings as 
he took off their ordinary lids. He then set them upside 
down on the tripods; and fastening long rods in the 
holes that were in the sides of the lids, put the rods 
through the holes in the door and closed the door. 

He said: “Watch closely.” Then he pulled on the three 
rods, one at a time. Slowly, an almost liquid-like sub¬ 
stance curled out of the three jars and descended to the 
floor of the case. Then he pushed on the rods, closing the 
lids. 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


79 


Meanwhile, the gases had been spreading on the floor 
of the case and merging. Where two joined, lead ap¬ 
peared; but where three joined, there was gold. The 
three gases seemed to have an affiliation for each other, 
for in no great length of time a sheet of gold was on the 
floor of the case. We handled it and it was pure gold. 

This was but one of the many experiments he per¬ 
formed for us, but it will be a good illustration of their 
accomplishment. We soon pased on to the third room, 
however, leaving these wonders behind us. 

Here, students were practicing force alone. As this 
was a dangerous place to enter, we did not do so; but 
watched from the entrance. All I could see were flashes 
of light. The noise was terrific. 

So we soon emerged from the rock-hewn temple and 
continued on our way. My companion presently said: 
“The night is only a little more than half over. So if it 
is agreeable to you, we will visit the fourth plane.” 

I said it would be agreeable to me, so we went on our 
way to the fourth plane. 

Soon a high mountain wall appeared before us and my 
companion said: “This is the end of the third division 
of the third plane and before us is the way to the fourth 
plane. Let us hasten.” So we hurried to the mountain. 

END OF THE THIRD PLANE. 


80 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


Chapter V 

THE FOURTH PLANE 

After we had left the last division of the third plane, 
we went into a large cave; the interior of which was 
perfectly dark. After walking for some time, my guide, 
who was before me, stopped; and grasped my arm. 

“Clamber up and lie down/’ said he. 

As it was, I could see nothing; so I was guided alone 
by his hand. I climbed upon a shelf-like niche, which was 
cut in the wall. I lay down and composed myself. 

“Fare thee well,” he said, “I will return again.” 

Sleep overcame me and I must have lain quite a time 
in complete unconciousness. Then/suddenly, a current 
like an electric thrill shot through me, banishing all 
sleep. 

Then I heard, first far off, then closer, the most 
beautiful music. Softly and sweetly it was wafted to me 
through the Stygian darkness. It thrilled me as I lay 
there, so that my spirit trembled to hear. 

This music—or was it music? followed me throughout 
the trip. No—even further; for it zmll follow me, like 
a lost melody, all my days. When I am on my death bed, 
I hope to hear such strains from some heavenly source. 

From out of the darkness came a light like a milky 
mist. It concentrated and brightened, until it enveloped 
me in its silver glory. Then I beheld the companion of 
my other travels, walking toward me down a long corri¬ 
dor. He was smiling. 

He took my hand and bade me arise. “My friend,” said 
he, “You are now on the fourth plane. It is not large, 
but very interesting. Follow me.” 

I followed him through a long hallway, which was 
seemingly endless. The floor was crystal, as clear as 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


81 


ice; the ceiling was also crystal, through which the light 
seemed to shine. Upon the two side walls were painted 
endless scenes, all connected. The subject varied from 
mountain to marsh land, on the wall to the left; on the 
right were sea scapes. Neither gave one a sensation of 
monotony. Below these paintings, the wall was a beauti¬ 
ful, variegated onyx; the whole giving a remarkably artis¬ 
tic effect. 

At length we came to a wide portal, which spanned 
the hallway. Passing beneath this, we came to a large 
room. “Friend,” said my guide, “We are now in the 
ante-chamber of the fourth plane. Proceed carefully and 
enter respectfully; for this is holy ground.” 

Dear reader, can the words of earth describe Heaven, 
or that which Heaven contains ? Can it even describe the 
threshold of Heaven? For the Fourth Plane is really the 
threshold of Heaven. Words have been created to de¬ 
scribe the things of earth and to aid people in com¬ 
municating wishes. Few words exist without some equi¬ 
valent on earth. Some few describe the hopes of men in 
a life to come, but very few. So there I stood, with mind 
aghast, with divine splendors before my eyes. 

When we say holy or sublime—when we use any of the 
superlatives, we speak of the highest and best according 
to our aesthetic sense. Even in beauty, we speak of the 
nearest to perfection our^ minds can conceive. Perfec¬ 
tion is impossible to describe, for it is the highest and 
most complete. Therefore, in all that is to follow, the 
ultimate in perfection may be taken for granted; if you 
do, it will make my task much easier. 

* * * 

All the vast room was overwhelmed in a blaze of white 
glory, just tinged with gold. Yet the splendor did not 
blind me; it did not clash upon my vision. 

In the centre of the room was a great chair composed 
of diamond; through which the light broke into myriads 
of pale blue, green, red and yellow flashes. Upon this 
chair rested a great cloud, out of which came a soft voice. 


82 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


It said to me: “I am, and was and will be. I saw.the 
light of truth, amid the sufferings of my people; I pitied 
them. I gave them the light and suffered with them. I 
saw them misled into error and gave them light. They 
heard me—hear you me; for I who see the light would 
have you see the light also.” 

“Ages ago, the germ of life came to your world; it 
had a soul. It flourished and prospered and its descend¬ 
ants had souls. Through the ages, even as life flourished 
and multiplied, so the souls passed on. From stage to 
stage they passed progressing with the bodies. So the 
soul climbs higher and higher by cycles. We, on this 
plane, strengthen the soul that is tattered and riven by 
sin. We make it whole. Enter then, and tell the earth 
that the soul is made whole by its own labor and not 
otherwise. Proceed; and I, who have been ages dead, 
greet you, my brother.” 

Respectfully bowing before the chair, my companion 
and I left the room. Emerging, we stood upon a broad 
plain. Beginning at the door and stretching into the 
distance, was a broad road. In the far distance, like an 
Aurora Borealis, gleamed a beautious light. Red, blue, 
violet, green and other bright colors were commingled in 
a splendid array. Through these and entwining the whole 
distant vista, were golden shafts of light. These I have 
mentioned, were the only lights I saw, except those that 
were behind us. 

We proceeded along this dark road for quite a time, 
greatly wondering at the beauty of the illumination. 
After a while, it was blotted from the sky, leaving us in 
total darkness. Yet we kept on, trusting in our Keeper, 
until we came to a large edifice. We stood before the 
gate, which was semi-luminous in the darkness and 
knocked with a silver knocker, upon the door. Then, 
slowly, the doors opened inwardly; letting light shine 
upon us from its first movement. 

When the heavy doors had swung inwardly to their 
fullest extent, we stepped beneath the lofty portals. We 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


83 


were in a wide hallway, which increased in height until 
it joined the central auditorium. All was suffused in an 
overpoweringly divine light. It was slightly golden in 
color and looked more like sunlight than any other light 
I had before seen on my travels. 

The hallway through which we had entered, was arched 
in the Gothic fashion and was supported by small columns 
of black marble. The rotunda which capped the auditor¬ 
ium, was divided into twelve sectors, alternately black 
and white marble. At the jointure of each sector with 
another, was a large column, of black marble. The 
walls of both the hallway and the auditorium were of 
white marble, pierced at intervals by doors. The floor 
was of the clearest crystal. 

A teacher with a blazing star upon his shoulder and 
carrying a light wand of silver, approached and greeted 
us courteously. He explained that he was instructed to 
show us the few remarkable features of the fourth plane. 
Also, that it was not only a duty, but a pleasure for him 
to do so for our enlightenment. He also said that he was 
the head teacher of the building; hence the silver wand. 

Motioning us to follow, he went to one of the doors 
and entered, we following. We entered a classroom; or 
as he said: “Chamber of light/’ It was a large room, 
with three sides marble and the fourth crystal. This 
side, which was opposite us when we entered, was as he 
said, facing the City. 

To our right, was the only piece of furniture the room 
possessed: a thing of ebony which resembled a pulpit. 
I was told that the students sit in a circle before this, 
while being taught. 

With such a view of their goal and such instructors, it 
is little wonder that the pupils are quickly taught soul 
development. This teaching completes the instructions 
given upon the other planes. It might be called: “The 
severing of the last link which binds to earth.” 

From here, the soul steps into that blessed region ; 
which repays, manifoldly, all the bluffetings and tor- 


84 


WITHOUT THE CITY 


tures of a hard, cold world. All the gloomy and base 
things of life are left behind; and the soul steps into a 
new, sinless and productive existence. Then, step by step, 
higher and higher, the aesthetic soul advances, until it 
is lost and enfolded in the mighty presence of the per¬ 
vading spirit of all creation: God. 

With these pitiful murmurings, I end the story of my 
travels “Without the City.” Sometime, if I can, I will 
tell of the beauties “Within the City,” and the way thereto. 
Of the frail, rainbow-like bridge which spans the dark 
river. That river which separated the City from the 
Planes, over which nothing which has the grossness of 
flesh, may pass. Of the people of the City and the lights. 
Of other things too; that might be too high and sublime 
to put into words. 

Until that time comes, may this book have the mission 
of comfort and hope for which it was designed by my 
Masters. And may the peace of those things which are 
higher—descend upon you, until you acquire peace. The 
peace which surpasses all understanding forever; in this 
world, through which we now journey and the other 
world—to which our hopes and souls are extending. 

SELAH 























































































* 











































































































































































































































<* 


library of congress 

















































































































































































































































































































































































